My Dandelion has Awoken
by LettingGoX
Summary: What if Peeta managed to reject the Tracker Jacker poison, and fell into a coma? What does Katniss do? Peeta and Katniss fluff, rated T because, well, it's the Hunger Games.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hey! This fic takes place during Mockingjay right after Peeta was rescued from the Capitol, but instead, when they tried to hijack (?) him, he reacted differently... Please read and review, this is my first Hunger Games fanfic! If you review I'll respond with a PM, if I can figure out how to, I'm still new to Fanfiction! :P Sorry if Katniss seems a little OOC.**

**Disclaimer: Last time I looked in the mirror, I didn't see Suzanne Collins**

**Katniss' POV:**

"Good news Sweetheart," Haymitch said, bustling into the room. For once, he looked genuinely happy and surprisingly sober.

I turned to him from where I was sitting on my bed, rolling Peeta's pearl over my skin. "What is it?" I asked.

Haymitch tried to hide his smile, but I knew that he _was_ really happy about whatever he was going to tell me; that must mean it was really good news.

"The rescue soldiers came back from the mission to the Capitol," Haymitch replied.

I sucked in my breath and could feel my eyes widening.

"With Peeta?" I asked hurriedly.

He nodded.

The next moment I was running through the halls on the way to the hospital, the pearl still clutched in my fingers. When I got there, I realized that I had no idea where Peeta could be. I stood there pathetically before I saw Prim coming out of an office.

"Prim!" I called out to her as I rushed over. She turned towards me and smiled.

"Katniss! What brings you down here?"

"Where's Peeta?" I asked bluntly, cutting right to the chase.

"Right this way ," Prim said giggling while taking my hand. She led me down a few hallways before she stopped in front of a room.

"There should be a nurse in there. She'll tell you what to do next," Prim informed me before leaving.

I hurriedly opened the door to stumble into a small room with chairs scattered around and a big window looking into a white room. I ran over to the big window and looked through it. I saw my Peeta, lying on a hospital bed with machines surrounding him. He didn't seem to be moving though. I felt a tap on my shoulder and spun around.

"Miss Everdeen?" the nurse asked.

I cleared my throat. "Yes?"

"The doctor has informed me to tell you about Peeta's state."

I nodded my head.

"It seems that the Capitol tried to hijack Peeta, which is when tracker jacker venom is used to make someone think differently. But Peeta's body apparently rejected the venom, and he…" The nurse trailed off.

"What?" I asked.

"He fell into a coma," a voice from behind me said. I twisted around to see Haymitch standing in the doorway, looking stressed.

"H-he," I tried to say something, but I couldn't, as I immediately broke into sobs. I slumped into one of the chairs and cried my eyes out. When I was all cried out, I looked at the nurse. "Can I go in his room?" I asked quietly.

She nodded and opened the door for me.

After I went in I heard the door shut behind me. I pulled a chair from the corner of the room and put it next to Peeta's bed. I sat down and looked at his face. I stroked my fingers down his cheeks. I flinched when I felt his scars from the torturing he probably went through. Then I did something I thought I wouldn't ever do again. I leaned down and kissed his lips. Despite all the torturing, his lips were still so soft. I stayed in the kiss for a while, not wanting to let go anytime soon. I thought I was hallucinating when I felt a breath against my skin. I just kissed Peeta harder. I thought I was hallucinating when I felt hand on the side of my neck. But when I finally let go for air and saw that breathtaking blue that I knew so much, I knew I wasn't hallucinating.

"Peeta," I whispered, not believing it.

"Katniss?" he asked squinting, as if trying to adjust to the light after a long sleep. I guess it was a long sleep actually.

I grasped his hand in both of mine. "You came back to me," I said tears starting to form as a smile stretched across my face.

He smiled weakly. "I would never leave you."

That's when the door burst open and doctors came flooding in. I pushed back towards the door.

"No! Don't make me leave him!" I shrieked.

The nurse from before came to my aid.

"Don't worry sweetie, we just need to make sure he doesn't fall back into the coma. It'll only take ten minutes."

I just nodded my head and went back to the little rooms with the window. Even though it was only ten minutes, it felt like ten hours. When they finally let me back in I saw Peeta still on the bed, but his shirt was off and there were little wires poking into his chest. The doctor removed the wires and gave my shoulder a squeeze on his way out.

When Peeta saw me his whole face lit up. I began to sit back down in the chair but he scooted over in the bed and motioned for me to lie down next to him. I gladly accepted his offer and cuddled into his shoulder. He put an arm around me.

"Wait, so what exactly happened?" I asked while tracing patterns on this chest with my finger.

"Well, as far as I know, the Capitol tried to make me hate you by hijacking me, but I guess my body rejected it by falling into a coma."

I just nodded.

Peeta took a deep breath before speaking again. "But, I'm still a little confused about some things."

"Well, you can ask me anything," I replied.

"Ok, well first of all, where are we?"

"District 13 and we're in the hospital wing."

"What happened at the end of the Quarter Quell?"

I took a deep breath. "We separated, so when the rebels came to rescue us from the arena, they could only get me and Finnick and Beetee in time. You and Johanna were taken by the Capitol."

He nodded. "There's one more thing I need to ask you," he said.

"Anything."

"Do you love me?" I'm a bit surprised by this, and he can tell, so he continues. "Because I remember you kissing me when I just woke up, and then on the beach during the Quarter Quell, and they seemed genuine. Were they real?"

I don't answer for a long time, trying to think. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," he whispers.

I look up at him and smile. "Yes," I reply. "I do love you. It took being without you to realize it, but I do really love you."

His smile stretched across his face. I laughed and leaned up to kiss him. And it was anything but fake.

**A/N: Thx for reading! And remember to review please! Tell me if I should continue this, because if I don't get any reviews I'll probably just toss it. So please please review! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I hate homework! :P First off, I want to yell out a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed or added me or the story to their alerts of favorites. You don't know how happy it makes me to see my inbox congested with those emails! **

**Also, I want to give credit to **Lovely Kacey Faith **for the idea about Katniss' father. I don't want anyone thinking that I copied her; I just really liked the idea. But you guys should definitely check out her story, The Difference. Its pure amazement stuffed into 72 chapters. **

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own the Hunger Games. What's taking so long?**

**Now, let us begin!**

"They say I can leave the hospital soon," Peeta informed me. We were sitting on his bed in his hospital room. Peeta had a sketchpad and pencil on his lap, but hadn't drawn anything yet for whatever reason.

"Really? That's great!" I said. "Now we'll be able to go about and do things, you know, like a normal couple for once," I joked.

Peeta laughed. "Katniss, we've been through two Hunger Games and are currently in the middle of leading a war. I don't think we'll ever be _normal."_

We were laughing when Prim burst through the door. "Katniss!" she shrieked.

"What? What is it Prim? Is something wrong?" I asked, leaping of the bed.

She shook her head. "Then what?" I asked.

She took a minute to compose herself, and then smiled up at me. "He's alive Katniss!"

"What? Who?" I asked confused.

"Dad! He's been here the whole time! In District 13! He told me that he and his crew had actually snuck out of the mines while they were supposed to be working, and somehow ended up here after the mine explosion!"

I searched her face for any clue that she was lying. "I'll believe it when I see it," I finally muttered.

"Well, come on then!" Prim said, taking my hand and dragging me out of the room before I could say anything to Peeta.

After rounding a few corners, we came up to our room. I only ever came here to shower and change; I would always go down to Peeta's room to sleep with him. And whenever I did, I never had any nightmares.

Prim knocked at the door, and we heard a man's voice. "Come in."

Prim opened the door to reveal our regular room, except, sitting on Mom's bed was a man I recognized. "Dad, I brought Katniss!" Prim said.

The man, or should I say Dad, looked up. He smiled when he saw me.

"Dad?" I questioned, taking a step into the room.

He nodded. "That's me," he replied, standing up off of the bed. When I got closer I realized that it really was him. I could tell by the little mole right underneath his right eye. Without hesitation, I ran into his arms.

"I missed you so much!" I said.

"I missed you guys too," he replied. "I would've come back after I got here, but since I had come here from the woods, they were suspicious about me and wouldn't let me leave. I'm so sorry."

"That's ok," I said pulling away from him. I knew how strict District 13 could be. "So have you seen everyone?" I asked.

"Oh yes. I even met your _friend_ Gale," He said, raising his eyebrows. I felt myself blush.

"We're just friends," I said quickly. "_Best_ friends actually," I added.

"Ok, sure," Dad said sarcastically.

"What are you accusing me of?" I said, crossing my arms.

"Oh nothing," he said, chuckling.

"There's nothing between me and Gale except our friendship," I informed him.

"Are you sure, because, you know, you're a girl, and he's a guy, and-" he started, but I cut him off short.

I was getting frustrated now. "There is nothing between me and Gale, and there never could be, because I already love Peeta!" I said. When I realized what I had said, I blushed deep red and put a hand over my mouth.

Dad turned to me, not being all smiley anymore. Now he looked curious. "Who's Peeta?"

"He was my district partner in the Games, remember?" I said.

"You were in the Hunger Games!" Dad asked, clearly confused.

"Two of them actually. Haven't you seen the last two Games?" I asked curiously.

"No, they wouldn't let me," he replied.

"Well, then I guess you should watch them. I mean, they're kind of everything that has happened in the last two years. You can go down to the tech room and ask Beetee for some tapes of the last two Games. He should be able to give them to you," I told him.

He nodded. Prim then burst into the room. "Dad! Rory's mom wants to meet you!" she said. He got out and followed her, but not before giving me a look saying that our conversation was not over. I sighed and left the room to go back to where I had abandoned Peeta.

_The next day_

"So here it is," Peeta said as I stepped inside his new room. It was tiny but comfortable, perfect for Peeta.

"This is much better than the hospital room," I commented.

He nodded in agreement. Then he turned to me. "Ready for our 'normal day'?" he asked. I giggled.

"Of course, let's go," I replied.

But before we could take another step, the door burst open. Dad stormed in and grabbed my arm and started pulling me out of the room.

"What are you doing?" I squealed, pulling my arm away from him.

He turned towards us. "You are never to see this boy again."

Uh oh…

**A/N: Gasp! What did Katniss do **_**this**_** time? Don't worry, I would never let anyone break Katniss and Peeta, (aka, the cutest couple EVER!) apart. But there is gunna be drama! ^_^ Don't forget to review for more chapters! If I get at least 5 reviews, then I'll update, so REVIEW! I think I'm probably going to do at least one update every weekend, and I might put updates on Tuesdays and Thursdays, depending on how much homework I have. Gotta go spell check this thing now, toodles!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey again! First off, you guys are sooooo nice! I got so many awesome reviews! I can't believe people actually read this, let alone like it! It makes me so happy. Today I learned a bunch of new grammar, so hopefully its gunna improve my writing a tad bit. Once again, I really want to give credit to Lovely Kacey Faith for the idea about Katniss' dad. I'm not going to do like she did where he doesn't like Peeta because he's a merchant kid, I'm doing something else. Read if you want to find out! And also, expect a response to your review if you have an account and you review.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah sure, because Suzanne Collins, the author of a best-selling book that has been sold millions of times, is going to be writing FanFictions for . I highly doubt that.**

"You are never to see this boy again!" Dad said.

"What? Why?" I asked exasperated.

"You know perfectly why! You're the one who told me to watch your previous Games! The interviews are on those tapes as well you know," he answered.

I didn't say anything for a second. I was confused. What had we said at the interviews that would've made him so angry? When I couldn't figure it out, he burst out.

"Pregnant! He got you pregnant!" Dad exclaimed.

This made me even more confused. What was he talking about? I wasn't pregnant! Then I remembered. When Peeta had announced we were expecting a baby after revealing our secret marriage. But it was a lie, they both were. It was just to make the Capitol feel guilty about putting us back in the Games.

"Dad, that was a-" I started, but he cut me off.

"Don't start telling me some crazy explanation! Katniss Everdeen, you will listen to me and obey my rules," he said. Then he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of Peeta's room. I tried to break free, but he was too strong. I turned my head to Peeta, who was standing paralyzed by the side of the bed. "I'll be back," I whispered. He nodded.

When we got to our family compartment, Dad put me sitting on the bed and stood in front of me.

"How could you let yourself do this? You're only seventeen and you let yourself get pregnant! I thought you were better than this Katniss! My own daughter," he scolded.

I felt angry. Angry that he wouldn't let me explain. "Yeah, one of the daughters you abandoned," I growled, standing up so that I wouldn't feel so small.

"Don't you dare try to change the subject. I'm your father and you will respect me," he growled back.

I started feeling tears in my eyes. "If you would just listen-" I was cut off for the second time that day.

"I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear that 'it's ok' and 'you can handle it' because you can't!"

Tears were gradually rolling down my cheeks now. "Dad, please just-" I tried again to tell him it was all just a lie.

"No, Katniss. You will never see that boy again. He doesn't deserve you," he said with a snarl.

"Are you kidding me?" I yelled. "He doesn't deserve me? It's the other way round! I don't deserve him, but he loves me anyways. He loves me even if it was an act during the first Games. He loves me even though I can never give him what he gives me. He loves me even though I can never repay him for all the times he saved my life, like when you were gone and Prim, Mother, and I were starving. He purposely burnt two loaves of bread so that he could give them to me. He received a beating for it, but he did it anyway, because he loves me. He loves me even though I don't deserve him in the slightest," I took a deep breath after my speech and shut my eyes tightly, awaiting his answer. My heart dropped when he did.

"I'm sorry Katniss, but my word still stands," he said. He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. I wasn't going to listen to him. He left us in the time we needed him, and then decides to reappear and start trying to control me once I actually have a grip on life? I don't think so. I was still crying though, and I needed comfort. I knew exactly who to see for that.

I stepped out of the room as soon as Dad was out of sight. Then I went down to Peeta's room. All the while I was still crying.

When I stepped into his room, I saw that Peeta was drawing. When he saw me, his face lit up and he smiled. But when he noticed my tears, he immediately became concerned.

"What happened?" he asked, putting down his sketchbook and rushing over to my side. I looked up at him and immediately started sobbing. He put his arm around me and led us to the bed, where we sat down. I sobbed into his shirt and he held his arms around me, the only arms I trust now, because their owner is the only person who I know is on my side.

Peeta's POV

I hated seeing her like this. At times she was so strong and invincible, and at others she was incredibly vulnerable. I wish that I didn't need to comfort her, that all of our troubles could float away and we could be happy. I wish that all of our tears and fears would vanish and that smiles would replace them. Don't get me wrong, I'd willingly comfort Katniss in a heartbeat; I love her. But I just want her to be happy again.

After a few minutes of me petting her hair and whispering soothing words into her ear, we decide to go see Annie and Finnick. We haven't seen them much since we got here, and we want to see how they're doing. Katniss washes her face in the sink and then we leave. We're walking around a corner in a hallway when we bump into someone.

"Sorry I wasn't-" Katniss started, then gasped when she saw who it was.

"Hi Gale," she told him.

**Ooh, sort of cliffhanger! Ok so I decided to post this chapter so soon because all of the reviews I get are so awesome, and whenever I read them, I get this warm feeling inside, and I'm just really happy. So as you can see, updates are probably just going to be random.**

**So have you guys seen the Hunger Games trailers? There are three of them now! I think the third one is my favorite. If you haven't seen them, go to and click on videos at the bottom. There should be three videos.**

**So, as you all know, please review! Tell me what you guys think of the chapter, and also the trailers! Who else is super excited for the movie? Is anyone else going to the midnight premiere, because I know I am! SO tell me what you think of the chapter, the movie, and if you're going to the premiere in a review. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I cannot believe how awesome all you guys are! Your reviews make me so happy; I feel accomplished when I read them, and since I want to become an author, reading your reviews encourages me! One of the reviews even said that I just had to update because it was mandatory for survival! It made a big fat smile slide across my face. I love you guys! (Not in a stalker way, more of like a writer and her readers sort of way)**

**Disclaimer: Most of you probably aren't even reading this, or stopped after chapter 1. But if you are reading this, then let me enlighten you once again and remind you that I do not own anything about this story except the things you don't recognize.**

Peeta's POV:

"Hi Gale," Katniss says as she reaches out and grabs my hand again as if it were her life line.

"Hi Katniss," Gale replies. He turns to me and just gives me a glare. I reply with a strained smile; I wasn't going to sink down to his level.

He turns back to Katniss. "So Katniss, how have you been?" he asks.

"Fine, well, perfect actually," she answers, giving my hand a squeeze. She smiles at me and I smile back. She turns back to Gale. "How about you?" she asks. Then, after clearing her throat she continues, "I- I heard you met my-my dad," she says. I can tell she wants to break down and start sobbing, so I give her hand a squeeze of reassurance.

"Yeah, I did," Gale replied.

"Well, we have to go," Katniss said. "We're on our way to visit Finnick and Annie."

"Alright well, I'll see you around Katniss," he told her. He gave me one last glare before walking off.

I let out a breath I feel like I'd been holding the whole conversation.

"You were totally silent the whole time Peeta," Katniss told me.

"Can you blame me?" I said chuckling. "By the way he was glaring at me you could tell he wanted t punch me."

Katniss just shrugged. He continued our walk to Finnick's room, where we suspected they would be.

Once we got there, I knocked on the door. After a bit of scuffling, the door opened to reveal FInnick, with a girl with red hair sitting on the bed behind him. There was bowl of cherries next to her.

"Katniss! Peeta! I haven't seen you guys in ages! Come in," he said, opening the door wider.

We stepped inside and Annie smiled at us. She didn't seem deranged at all.

"Katniss, Peeta, I'd like to introduce you to Annie," Finnick said.

"So this is the Annie Finnick is always talking about," Katniss said, smiling at Annie. Annie blushed a deep red. "Don't worry, he's only said good things," Katniss reassured her, giggling.

"Katniss Everdeen is _giggling_?" Finnick teased her. I chuckled.

"Watch it," Katniss replied, blushing.

"I'm just teasing," Finnick informed her.

"So, what have you guys been up to?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Not much, just settling. But there was something I forgot to mention," Finnick said, dramatically tapping his chin.

After a few suspenseful seconds, Annie burst out, "We're getting married!" she said with a huge grin on her face.

"Congratulations you guys!" Katniss said, taking her hand out of mine to hug each of them. I did as well.

"Yes, the wedding is next week," Finnick informed us, clearly ecstatic as well.

"Oh I can't wait!" Katniss said. Then someone's stomach rumbled. We turned to Annie who was blushing again.

"I think that means it's time for lunch," I said. We left the room and headed towards the cafeteria.

Katniss' POV:

As we walked towards the cafeteria, I couldn't stop thinking about Finnick and Annie's marriage. Or to be more exact, Peeta and I. When would Peeta propose? Obviously not anytime soon, with the situation about my Dad and all, but still. I couldn't help feeling a bit jealous. I shouldn't, because Finnick and Annie were older; almost 6 years older. I just felt like Peeta and I were meant to be. I had just realized it, but now that I had I was certain of it. Nothing could break us apart, not even my dad.

We reached the cafeteria, and sat at a table all together. Annie showed us her engagement ring. It was truly beautiful; it was a sliver band with diamond surrounded by tiny pearls. When she showed it to us, both she and Finnick's eyes seemed to light up. There was no doubt they loved each other.

We spent the rest of the meal talking about insignificant things. Towards the end, I saw Dad walk in. I turned to the group.

"We have to go," I said standing up, grabbing Peeta's arm in the process.

"Why?" he asked. Then he saw my dad. "Oh," he said standing up as well.

Annie and Finnick looked confused. "We'll tell you about it later," I said hurriedly.

Peeta and I grabbed our trays and hurried towards the exit. We threw away our trash and turned into the hallway which followed the exit. He were about to call the elevator when we heard the unmistakable voice of my father.

"Stop right there you two," he growled.

We spun around to see him running towards us at full speed.

Then, I heard a cry of pain. And it wasn't from me or Dad.

**A/N: I'm so sorry, but I just had to end the chapter with this cliffhanger. I thought of it all of a sudden, and had to. If you're screaming you're head off at me right now like I would be, I don't blame you. Just please don't hate me. On the bright side, the next update will be tomorrow. And I promise it won't be a cliffhanger, since I probably won't be able to post anything Mon-Thurs. I think my schedule for updates will be one on Fridays, one on Saturdays, one on Sundays, and possibly on during the week on Tues. or Thurs. So those are the days to look for updates. Thx for reading and like always, REVIEW! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: You guys are freaking amazing. I already have 36 reviews! That's awesome. No, it's amazing! Wait, it's BREATHTAKINGLY EXTRODINARY! Your reviews make me write so much faster so keep reviewing! And as I promised, this chapter will not be a cliffhanger, because I might not be able to update again until Thursday or Friday. But first, I wanted to tell you guys that I will soon be writing another KatnissxPeeta Fic soon. Don't worry, the story that you are reading right now is going to be really long (Mockingjay rewrite and the gap between the end of Mockingjay and the epilogue) so I'm not going to abandon it. But I will have another story as well soon. It will be called Tell Me Why, because I thought of it while listening to the song Tell Me Why by Taylor Swift. The summary for the story will be at the end of the chapter.**

**Enough of my rambling, let us read!**

**Disclaimer: Why do I even bother? This is the fifth time I had to write the word disclaimer and it's getting on my nerves. Oh, look at that, I just wrote it again in the previous sentence. I need help…**

I was pushed back against the wall after I heard Peeta cry out in pain. I realized that my dad had pushed me out of the way to get to Peeta. I looked down and sure enough, Dad was beating Peeta into a bloody pulp. Peeta, being the good person he is, wasn't trying to fight back. He just lied there limply on the ground, squeezing his eyes shut in pain.

I screamed, loudly apparently, because my dad turned his head towards me. Tears were now running down my face. "HOW COULD YOU?" I screamed.

"How dare you go against my word?" Dad growled back. I started sobbing.

Peeta weakly opened his eyes. "Katniss?" he whispered, squinting to try and see me. I was about to bend down and take his hand when Dad grabbed him by the collar and roughly pushed him against the wall.

"Don't you dare say my daughter's name," my father spit in Peeta's face. Peeta just clenched his eyes shut, preparing himself for the next punch. But I wasn't going to have any of that.

I stepped between them just as Dad's fist came down. Instead of punching Peeta in the jaw, he ended up punching me in the nose.

I cried out in pain and my hands flew up to cover my nose and stop the blood that was beginning to flow from my nose.

"Katniss!" my dad said. He let go of Peeta who fell to the floor and tried to reach a hand to my face, but I quickly moved out of his grasp and sunk down next to Peeta.

"Don't you dare touch me," I hissed. Tears started flowing down my cheeks again, mixing with the blood from my nose. "How could you?" I started to sob. "I never thought you would ever hurt someone like this, especially someone like Peeta, who has a heart of gold and means so much to me. I thought you were better than that," I started sobbing more loudly.

"Katniss I-" he started, but I cut him off.

"Don't even try. I don't even want to look at you right now," I spat at him. Then I focused on Peeta. I put my ear to his chest, and sighed in relief when I heard a heartbeat. A couple of guards rounded the corner, and they helped me take Peeta down to the hospital. Nurses immediately put him on a bed and wheeled him off to a room. I followed them, not leaving Peeta's side for a second. Once he was in the room lying on the bed I took his hand in mine and lightly squeezed it. Tears of joy sprang into my eyes when I felt a squeeze back.

Peeta's eyes opened halfway. "Katniss?" he whispered. I smiled at the sound of his voice.

"Stay with me Peeta," I begged.

"Always."

I bent down and kissed his forehead. Then the nurses came in and shooed me out. I was about to let go of Peeta's hand when his grip tightened on my fingers. He looked up at me sadly. "Don't go," he whispered.

"Never," I answered. "I'll be right here when you wake up, but you have to let the doctors help you. My dad was horrible, and I see now what a monster he is. I promise you, I will never, ever let him do that to you again," I reassured him. He nodded, and let go of my hand. I walked out and went into the little room with the big window where I could watch Peeta. I sat down in one of the chairs in front of the window so that Peeta could see me. When he did, his whole face brightened up. I smiled at him.

A couple minutes later, Haymitch burst in. "I heard Peeta was back in the hospital," Haymitch panted.

"Yeah, my dad beat him up," I said. "He thinks that Peeta got me pregnant after watching the tapes of the Quarter Quell, but he won't let me tell him it was just a lie to make the Capitol guilty."

Haymitch's face turned red in anger. "That no good rotten bottom dweller!" Haymitch said. He had a soft spot for Peeta, and being his mentor for two Hunger Games, he had become naturally protective. "That dad of yours is gunna get it," he said, exiting the room with a look of determination on his face. I chuckled. Dad _was_ going to get it if Haymitch was after him. He might be a drunk, but let's not forget that he did survive the Hunger Games against 47 other tributes.

A couple minutes after Haymitch left, Finnick burst in. "What happened?" he shrieked. I explained what happened between my dad and Peeta.

Finnick's face scrunched up. "Next time I see your dad, I'm going to let him have it," he said with a scowl on his face.

"Too late. Haymitch beat you to it," I said.

"Oh ok. Haymitch will probably be able to let him have it better than I can," he said. He pondered for a second, and then said, "Haymitch is so fat, he could probably just sit on your dad and crush him."

I burst out laughing at this. It was funny because it was true. Ever since Haymitch got to 13 he had been getting fatter and fatter. Finnick could always cheer me up.

An hour passed before the doctors were finally done. I scrambled up from my seat and into Peeta's room when they told me I could see him. I scurried over to Peeta's bed and quickly took his hand in mine. He looked up sleepily at me. They had probably given him morphling.

"Katniss?" he said.

"Yes Peeta, I'm right here," I answered stroking his hand. He smiled at me and scooted over in the bed and patted the spot next to him. I gladly accepted his offer and lied down next to him. I snuggled my head in his shoulder instead of his chest so that I wouldn't hurt him. He put his arms around me and buried his lips in my hair.

"Stay with me," I whispered.

"Always."

**A/N: I hope you like it! I made it extra long because the next update probably won't come until this Thursday or Friday. Also, to keep you going until then, I'll give you a little spoiler for next chapter! Let's just say that Gale is jealous and is gunna do whatever it takes to get Katniss. Don't worry though; Katniss never leaves Peeta's side for a minute. **

**Here is the summary for Tell My Why, my next PeetaxKatniss story:**

**What if Katniss chose Gale and Peeta never moved on? What happens when Katniss realizes that Gale doesn't truly love her and she never truly loved him? What happens when she realizes she still loves the boy with the bread? "Fire plus fire equals an even bigger fire, which Gale is using to abuse me. He's hurt me, mentally and physically, something I know you'd never do." Rated T for an abusive Gale Hawthorne.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Oh my freaking god I already have like 50 reviews. 50! Yay! Celebration! :D You guys are so freaking epic, you're reviews make me want to write. Thank you!**

**Also, for those who don't already know, my new story, Tell Me, Why? Is up with two chapters! So go read that, after this chapter of course. **

**Disclaimer: You guys are probably already looking below this and have already started reading. Not that I blame you or anything. I hate disclaimers too.**

**Oh, btw, Coin is going to be a good guy in this fic. Just telling you.**

Sunlight streamed through the windows and forced my eyelids apart. I blinked a couple times to get used to the light. I sat up and stretched. Then I realized that this had been the first night in ages without a nightmare. I was confused why at first, but then saw where I was. I sat on the hospital bed with a sleeping Peeta next to me. I remembered how my dad had totally beat Peeta up so bad he had to go into hospital care. I scowled at the thought of my dad.

I looked down and my scowl was replaced with a smile as I saw Peeta. He looked so calm in his sleep; I could tell he didn't have nightmares either.

I swung my legs off the bed and skipped over to the little counter in Peeta's hospital room. I pulled a sticky note off of the pad and scribbled Peeta a note.

_Peeta,_

_I'll be back soon, I just need to go to my room and get some stuff. Don't fret if I'm not here when you wake up._

_I love you!_

_Katniss_

I stuck the note to his forehead so that he would see it as soon as he woke up. Then I scurried out of the room.

I was walking through the hallways of the hospital when I bumped into them.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" a little voice squealed. My face lit up.

"Prim!" I exclaimed before scooping her into a hug. I hadn't seen my little sister in a while.

"Katniss!" Prim squealed. We pulled apart. "Oh Katniss, it's been so horrible!"

My eyebrows knit in confusion. "What are you talking about?" I questioned.

"Dad is always angry or grumpy, and whenever Mother or I try to cheer him up, he starts yelling at us!" she exclaimed.

I gasped. How dare he! First, he hurt Peeta. And now he was picking on my little sister and his own daughter. Incredible. Just incredible.

I say goodbye to Prim, and resume my walk to our room. I'm turning a corner when I hear a voice behind me.

"Hey Catnip."

I spin around to come face to face with none other than Gale.

"Hi Gale," I respond nervously.

"Where you headed to?" he asks.

"My room," I say simply.

"I heard about what you're dad did to Mellark," he informs me.

I sigh. Does word travel that fast in 13?

"Maybe you should take it as a sign," he says.

"Huh?" I ask confused.

"Even your Dad doesn't like Mellark. Maybe you should take it as a sign that he's not right for you."

And with that, my hand goes flying in the air and lands on Gale's face with a smack, wiping the smirk right off his face.

"You have no right telling me how to feel," I growl.

"Catnip! Calm down, I didn't mean to upset you," he says, rubbing his cheek.

"Oh, I understand exactly what you were trying to do. You're trying to use my dad to make me fall for you. Well, let me tell you Gale. As long as my heart is beating, it belongs to Peeta. Oh, and you might want to try using his first name."

I stomp off in the direction I was going, leaving a dumbstruck Gale behind me.

When I finally got to my room, I took out my key. I prayed that there was no one in there, and luckily, my prayers were answered. I quickly picked up my game bag and tossed open the drawers. I stuffed a shirt and some jeans into my bag before opening a smaller drawer above. Inside, there was my Mockingjay pin, the pearl, and the locket Peeta had given me during the Quell. I threw these things into my bag before closing it and slinging it over my shoulder. I slithered over to the door and exited the room. I didn't want to get ready here in fear that my dad would come in.

I finally got back to the hospital wing. I walked down the hallway until I finally reached Peeta's room. I entered to see Peeta sitting on the side of the bed with his sketchbook in his lap. I shut the door behind me which made his head jerk up. He smiled when he saw me.

"Hey there," he says.

"Hey there my little sleepyhead," I said giggling as I sat down next to Peeta. God, I'm not like my usual self at all right now. But with Peeta, it was ok.

He closed his sketchbook and tossed it into the drawer. He turned back to me. "So, what do you want to do today?" he asked.

"I don't know, depends how you're feeling," I replied concerned.

"I feel fine over all, just a little sore."

I nodded. That was good. I guess I sort of already knew Peeta would be fine. He's so strong in situations like this.

Before I could say another word, Haymitch burst in.

"Katniss! Coin is requesting your presence at the meeting," he panted.

"Oh, ok," I replied. I stood up, kissed Peeta on the cheek, and followed Haymitch out. We walked to the meeting hall, where a big table sat in the middle of the room with chairs surrounding it. In the chairs were Finnick, Beetee, Plurtach, Gale, and my father. At the head of the table sat Coin. I walked over to a chair between Finnick and Coin and sat down.

"Nice of you to join us Katniss," Coin said as I sat down. I nodded. "Alright now down to business," she said. "First of all, we will have to sort out everything that the Districts believe about Katniss, her being the Mockingjay and all." She turned to me. "Will we still be continuing the star-crossed lovers act between you and Peeta?" she asked me.

"It's not an act anymore," I informed her quietly as I saw my dad scowl out of the corner of my eye. She smiled.

"Right, my bad. But should we still portray you two as star-crossed lovers?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I guess, why not?"

"Alright then," she said as she scribbled something down. She turned back to me. "Then there's the fake pregnancy issue," I nodded. Finally, my dad would know the truth. "Obviously you aren't pregnant, but the districts and the Capitol believe so. Would you like us to tell them that it was a lie, or do you want us to tell them that you had a miscarriage or such?"

I pondered. "Probably the second one," I said. "If we tell them the truth that it was a lie the whole time, then they may not trust us, knowing we lied."

"Ok," she replied, scribbling something else down.

The meeting continued, but I mostly zoned out for most of it. I could feel my dad's eyes boring on me, but I didn't dare make eye contact. When the meeting finally ended, I sprung out of my chair and made a sprint for the exit. But before I could turn the corner in the hallway, my father caught my arm. I turned to look at him.

"What is all this with it being a lie?" he asked.

I sighed. "I kept trying to tell you, but you wouldn't let me. It was a lie. The whole thing about me being pregnant was a lie. We did it to make the Capitol feel guilty about putting us back in the Games. I never was pregnant."

"I'm so sorry," he muttered. "I had no idea."

I grew angry. "You think that you can just apologize and everything is ok? It's not! Peeta's in the hospital because of you, Gale's trying to convince me that I don't love Peeta because of you, and pregnant or not, I never thought you would hurt someone as badly as you did Peeta."

I yanked my arm free and ran down the hallway, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. But I was relieved. Relieved that he finally knew the truth.

I went down to the hospital wing (obviously) and entered Peeta's room. As soon as he saw me he sprung up from the bed and grabbed my hand. He started pulling me back out the door with a grin on his face.

"Where are you taking me?" I squealed.

"It's a surprise. But you're going to like it," he replied.

He pulled me all the way to the elevator. We got in and he pressed the button for the floor above us. When the elevator came to a stop, he took my hand again and proceeded pulling me towards our mysterious destination.

We finally stopped in front of door. He stepped behind me and put his hands over my eyes.

"Peeta!" I squealed.

"Calm down Katniss, you'll see soon enough."

He opened the door and led me through the doorway. We walked a few feet before he stopped and took his hands off over my eyes. I blinked a couple times to get used to the amount of light. When my eyes regained focus, I looked around and gasped. Peeta wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.

"It's beautiful," I whispered as I took in the sight. Peeta had taken me to a garden. It looked exactly like the one on the train.

I spun around and kissed Peeta. I definitely needed this.

**A/N: Yay! Extra long chapter! So as you can see, Coin is nice in this fic. Here's a little spoiler for you guys: She's going to save Katniss and Peeta's relationship somehow from a very special someone who you guys have been saying you hate a lot. Also, next chapter Gale is going to be very naughty, and Katniss doesn't approve of that. Long story short, Katniss hurts Gale. Have I got you guys dying for the next chapter yet? Next update should be out tomorrow or Saturday. So very soon! **

**Remember, don't forget to review! If you do using a fanfiction account, you'll be hearing a response from me! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm sooo sorry! I wanted to update yesterday, but I had a haircut appointment and then I had volleyball practice. Sorry. I want to shout out a big THANK YOU! To all my reviewers. Reading you reviews makes my day. Now, on with the chapter! P.S. I apologize for the profanity in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: …**

I pull away from the kiss. I can't believe this. Tears begin forming in my eyes. Peeta wraps his arms from behind me again.

"Thank you," I whisper. He replies by kissing the top of my head.

An hour later, we're in the same position we were right before the Quell. Me making a crown out of flowers with my head in his lap, and him playing with my hair leaning against a tree.

I sigh a sigh of happiness and relief. Only Peeta can make me this happy, and I was stupid enough to not know it until now. I look up at him. He looks down at me and I see pure love in his eyes. I smile.

"How do you do it?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" he asks confused.

"How do you manage to make me so happy in the darkest of times?" I repeat.

He chuckles. "I guess we just love each other that much," he replies.

"He knows," I blurt out.

"What?" he asks confused once again.

"He knows. My dad knows the truth finally, that I'm not actually pregnant."

"Well that's good."

"But I still can't look at him," I say. "I can't accept the fact that he hurt you. He hurt my Peeta," I say, stroking his cheek with my hand.

"Katniss," Peeta says sternly. This makes me sit up. "Katniss, you can't ignore your dad because of me. I can't let you. I don't want to be the reason that you're mad at your dad that you haven't seen in 7 years."

I sigh. Selfless, selfless Peeta. "It's not that Peeta," I say. "It's the fact that he would hurt someone for that reason. I used to think that he was the fairest person ever, but I was proved wrong," I tear escapes my eye. "It makes me think that if I ever decided to have a kid with you in the future I would have to be afraid of what my dad would say. I don't want to live in fear of him."

I shut my eyes as tears begin to flow down my cheeks. I feel arms engulf me. I settle into them, because the arms are the ones that ward off the nightmares. They comfort me exactly when I need them to. I rest my head against Peeta's strong chest. I cry and cry until I can't cry anymore while Peeta whispers loving words into my ear.

"I love you so much, words can't even begin to describe it," he whispers.

"I love you more," I whisper back.

I remove my head from his chest and look into his eyes. Those beautiful eyes that are such a perfect shade of blue they put the sky to shame. He leans in and kisses my forehead. Then he plant kisses on my cheek and my jaw and neck. But I'm not going to settle for that. Before he can pull away, I grab the back of his neck and pull him towards me. I plant my lips on his and tangle my fingers into his hair. I kiss him passionately, more than I ever have before. My tongue slips into his mouth and he doesn't protest. I push his back against the tree trunk and straddle his lap. He circles his arms around my waist in reply.

Nothing can stop the love I'm expressing through this kiss, so when I hear a cough behind me, I don't even flinch. We would've continued if Peeta wasn't so good and pulled away. I turned around and scowled when I saw Gale. I stood up and crossed my arms, not at all embarrassed that he had seen me kiss Peeta. Peeta stood up after me and stood next to me.

"What do you want Gale?" I hissed.

"I have something important to tell you," he replied.

"What could be so important that you needed to interrupt us?" I asked. Peeta's ears turned pink and he ran a hand through his hair. Man, when he did that, it drove me crazy. I wanted to just push him up against the tree again and kiss him. I mentally slapped myself. I shouldn't be thinking like that.

"Catnip," he started.

"And I don't want to hear any crap about how we're perfect for each other, because you can't tell me how to feel. I've already told you many times that I love Peeta, and you're going to have to accept it," I scowled.

"But Katniss, you don't understand!" he said. "He's using you! He doesn't really love you! But I do. Catnip don't you see? We _are _perfect for each other."

I gasped. How dare he accuse Peeta of that? And before anyone could say another word, I slapped Gale as hard as I could. He stuttered backwards a bit, but I saw that he was angry now. And in an instant, he had his arms pulling me towards him and had forced his lips upon mine. It took me a second to register what was happening before I started trying to push him off of me, but he was too strong. Tears involuntarily started escaping my eyes. How much I wished that he would stop kissing me. A yelp of suprise escaped my throat when I felt one of Gale's hands resting on my back began traveling lower and lower until his finger were resting on the waistband of my pants. That made Peeta crack.

One of Peeta's fists came flying down on Gale's face. He wasn't expected it, so Gale tumbled to the ground, releasing his hold on me. I stumbled back and collapsed to the ground, tears now flowing down my cheeks. I brought my knees up to my chest and started sobbing. I couldn't believe Gale just did that.

"Who the shit do you think you are you asshole?" Peeta yelled at Gale, pinning him to the ground. I gasped. I had never heard Peeta talk like that.

"Get off of me Mellark!" Gale growled, obviously struggling under Peeta's grip. Sometimes people forget that the softhearted baker's son who was helplessly in love survived two Hunger Games. "You don't deserve her," Gale spat in his face. With the mention of me, Peeta's head snapped around to look at me sobbing into my knees. In two second flat, he was off Gale and had his arms around me in effort to comfort me.

"I'll never let anyone do that to you ever again," he whispered into my ear as I climbed onto his lap and buried my head into the crook of his neck and closed my eyes. I sobbed into his shoulder.

"I'm not going to give up that easily," I heard Gale say.

The anger inside of erupted. "I HATE YOU!" I screamed, lifting my head from Peeta's shoulder and looking Gale in the eye. "I HATE YOU GALE! JUST GET OUT OF MY LIFE!" I sobbed. "Don't bother talking to me ever again, because I'll never forgive you. Never. You were my best friend Gale, but that wasn't enough for you. Now, I don't even see you as a human being worth looking at, let alone a friend."

I shut my eyes again and buried my face into Peeta's shoulder again. I guess Gale left because when I looked up again, he was gone. I looked at Peeta.

"I'm so sorry Peeta. I was trying to push him away, but he was too strong," I sobbed.

"Katniss, I was there, I saw you trying to break free, you don't have to apologize," he said soothingly.

"I feel so violated," I whispered.

"I know," he whispered.

"If anyone was to ever touch me like that, I would want it to be you," I confess.

"Oh, Katniss. I would never do anything like that, you know that," he said. "My father always told me and my brothers that if you really loved a woman and respected her, you would wait until marriage to do anything like that," he reassured me.

"That's why I love you," I say. "You're so good for me. You make me happy when I'm sad. You make me laugh when I'm angry. You give me hope when all of its seemingly lost. You're my dandelion in the spring."

**A/N: Ok, before anything, let me reassure you that that was NOT the fight between Gale and Katniss. Their fight is so much worse than that. I can't wait to write about it! Ok, so from now on I decided I would give you a question every chapter to answer in the reviews. So, for this chapter, I want you tell me three good qualities Peeta has (the list could go on and on, minimize it to three) and three good qualities Gale has. In this fic, Gale is pretty horrible, but in the books he's not that bad. He has good qualities, just not in this fic. So please review and tell me three good qualities Peeta has and three good qualities Gale has. Thx for reading! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm back everyone! First of all, just want to say that I do realize Katniss is extremely OOC but you know, that's what fanfiction is for Also, I thought it was hilarious how many of you could not come up with three things for Gale. I tried to put myself in your shoes, but I couldn't think of anything for Gale either lol. And, I just wanted to say that the reason Gale did that… thing to Katniss in the last chapter was because Peeta was standing right there, and him being Gale, jealousy took over. If it had been just him and Katniss there, he wouldn't have done that. Just thought I'd clear that up. Also, spring break is coming! But I only get one week. I will be updating A LOT then. I'll let you know soon when that week will be. **

**Disclaimer: **

**Warning: If you like Gale, STOP READING. If you don't like Gale, please continue.**

I saunter down the hallway towards Annie and Finnick's place for wedding planning that convinced me to participate in. It had been two days since the incident with Gale, and I hadn't looked him in the eye since. He tried to talk to me once, but luckily, Annie came to my rescue, telling me about how they needed help in wedding planning. I willingly accepted her offer, and left Gale standing there.

I'm still confused about what he did. I'd known Gale since I was twelve and I never thought he'd do anything like that. No, I'm sure he wouldn't. So why did he? What could have driven him to do that?

I finally make it to Annie and Finnick's cabin, and knock on the door. Almost immediately, Finnick opened the door. I stepped inside, and saw paper. _Everywhere_.

"Katniss!" Annie greeted, smiling up at me from her seat on the bed.

"Hi Annie," I replied, sitting down next to her. "So, what's first?"

"Well, I thought we should make the guest list first," Finnick said. So we get to work on that, recounting all the people we know.

"How about Gale? He's your friend, right Katniss?" he asked.

"Not anymore," I scoffed, a scowl replacing my previously present smile. I tell them about the incident, and they both stare at me in horror when I'm done.

"What!" Annie asked, or more like shrieked.

I nodded. "I have no idea why he did that, I never would've imagined him doing anything like that," I replied.

"Well, I know," Finnick said, crossing his arms.

I turned to him, my eyes begging for an answer.

"Peeta," he said simply.

"Huh?" I asked, my eyebrows knitting in confusion.

Finnick sighed. "He was trying to get to Peeta. Anyone who knows Peeta knows he's harmless, _unless_ you mess with the girl he loves. Gale didn't think about that."

It all begins to make sense. We finish the guest list, and I decide to call it a day. I walk down the hallways towards the elevator. I proceed down to the hospital, and down the corridor I know so well. I enter Peeta's room, and I see him eating a bowl of who-knows-what. He hears me open the door and looks up, smiling as my head pokes in. I hop over to him, sitting next to him on the bed as he slings his arm around my waist.

"Hey there," he greets. I give him a kiss on the cheek in response. "So what did you do today?" he asks.

I shrugged. "Not much," I reply. "I helped Annie and Finnick with some of their wedding planning."

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about their wedding!" Peeta exclaimed. "That'll be great!"

I nodded and turned to him. "What about you, what did you do?"

"Nothing really. I had a few… visitors."

I raised my eyebrows. "What kind of visitors?" I asked curiously.

"Well the first was Gale," he said quietly. I felt my hands ball up into fists. Peeta saw this and uncurled my fingers.

"What did he say?" I got out.

"Well, he said that I should just give up now, because apparently he has a plan."

"What did you do?"

"Don't be angry but…" he trailed off.

"What? What did you do?" I asked exasperatedly.

"I socked him in the jaw."

This made me burst out laughing. I laughed so hard that my sides began to hurt. Peeta just looked at me strangely.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked once I had calmed down.

I giggled. "That's the thing, I don't even know!"

Peeta just raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "Teenage girls are weird. First, you're clenching your fists in anger, then you laughing like a maniac."

I grinned. "Yup, and you're stuck with me for a long time."

"And I couldn't be happier," he replied before leaning down and planting a kiss right below my ear where he knew it got me crazy.

"Peeta," I moaned in protest. "Stop it."

"Why?" he asked, planting kisses all around my ear.

I smiled and let out another moan. I loved it when he was stubborn. He kissed my all along my jaw, circling around my lips. I knew he was teasing me, and I couldn't stand it anymore. I took his face in my hands and crashed my lips against his. I threw my arms around his neck and let his tongue collide with mine. When we finally came up for air, I pulled myself into his lap and proceeded to kiss him again.

"Now Katniss, behave yourself," he said like a school teacher.

"Why?" I pouted. He chuckled.

"Girls…" he sighed.

"Boys…" I said, mimicking his tone. This made him chuckle again, he began kissing my ear again.

I let out another small moan, not caring if I looked weak. With Peeta, it didn't matter. With Peeta, nothing really mattered, expect him and me. It didn't even matter that I heard the door open and someone was probably watching me and Peeta right now.

"Katniss!" Someone growled. I just clenched my eyes shut, refusing to see the owner of the voice. But Peeta made me look up at him. I scowled when I saw Gale.

"Get away from me you monster," I growled at him. I didn't even bother getting off of Peeta's lap. So what? Gale needed to open up his eyes and see the intimate relationship I was in with Peeta. I smiled up at Peeta as his arms slightly tightened around me. I sighed. Peeta was so good for me. He could turn my scowl into a smile in a second. So I told him just that.

"You're so good for me," I whispered, looking up at Peeta. But I said it loud enough so that Gale could hear. I saw Gale clench his fists out of the corner of my eye. Peeta smiled.

"Same here," he responded. I was about to protest when Peeta silenced me by placing a finger on my lips, signaling that it wasn't the right moment.

I turned back to Gale and my frown reappeared. "I said, what do you want?" I hissed.

"I came here to apologize." he answered.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing. He thinks that he can just say he's sorry and everything's ok? Yeah right, when pigs fly.

"You think you can just say you're sorry for violating me and everything is magically ok again? I'm sorry Gale, but that's not things work. You're not always going to get what you want from me anymore. I'm sick and tired of your actions. Just leave, it would be better for everyone," I close my eyes and bury my face in Peeta's chest. He tightens his arms around me.

"I love you," he whispers in my ear and kisses it. I smile as I remember what we had been doing before Gale had rudely interrupted us.

He grinned. "Three years ago, if someone told me that we would fall in love after participating in two Hunger Games and sparking a rebellion, I would've called them crazy. But it's real," he whispered the last part.

"It's very real," I agree. I plant a light kiss in the crook of his neck before settling back into his arms. I let out of sigh of happiness as a smile creeps onto my face. This is where I belong. With Peeta. I don't know what to be without him around.

And I'm ok with that. _Very_ ok with it.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please tell me in a you-know-what. I've only been saying it for the past 7 chapters! :D Oh my freaking god I can't believe the Hunger Games premiere is in 2 freaking days. That's 48 hours! I don't feel like calculating how many minutes. :P Also, no comments saying Y GALE SO MEAN? I warned you, Gale is hateable(is this a word?) in this fic.**

**Ok, so your question is: Tell me three bad characteristics about Gale. Optional, tell me three bad characteristics about Peeta. I saw how hard it was for you to find three good about Gale, it going to be nearly impossible to find three bad about Peeta. The only thing I can think for Peeta is that he's hijacked, and even that isn't his fault.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm finally updating! Sorry it took so long, but I had a ton of homework. Our English teacher is having us write a myth for our mythology unit and it's this whole long process. So sorry about that. And don't worry, I didn't forget about the situation with Katniss' dad. He's coming back, don't you worry. **

**Also, I want to clarify something. I love constructive criticism and suggestions. By all means, leave some in a review please. But please, say it nicely. In other words, no flames please. I got my first one ever on the last chapter, and it was really mean; I had to delete it. For whoever posted that review (it was anonymous) I'm sorry if I made a couple errors, I'm only 13 and just beginning my career in writing. Also, I did say that the characters were OOC in the author's note. **

**And last thing I want to say is AHHHHH! SO MANY REVIEWS! Ha ha don't worry, that is definitely not a bad thing. :) But I can't keep up with you guys! I decided that I'll only reply to reviews which ask questions, I feel the need to reply to, or if it asks specifically to reply. I have to do this in order to maintain sanity! :P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games**

**Warning: Extreme OOCness. So no reviews telling me that my characters are OOC because I warned you. They are OOC for a reason. FANFICTION. Also, mild language.**

**Yay, now for the extra long chapter! :)**

_4 days later_

I rummaged through my mother's drawers, desperate to find something to wear for Finnick and Annie's wedding today. I hated wearing dresses or skirts and didn't have a single one in my closet, but today was a special occasion. Luckily, Mother and I were the same dress size, so when I saw a light blue dress in the back of her closet, I knew it would fit.

The soft, baby blue silk slipped off of the hanger and into my rough and uneven hands. I rolled the material of the dress between my fingers as I walked to the bathroom to try it on. In front of the mirror, I wrestled off my regulated grey jeans and grey V-neck shirt and slipped the dress over my head.

The two inch straps nestled perfectly in the crooks of my shoulder, and the hem of the dress fell right below my knees. The waistline rested right below my chest, not making it obvious how skinny I was. The skirt part of the dress fell down in soft waves, making it look almost white with a lining of light blue.

It was simple and sophisticated, yet ravishing and beautiful.

"How does it fit?" I heard my mother ask through the crème colored bathroom door.

I opened the door and stepped out so my mother could see it herself.

"Katniss, you look beautiful!" my mother gushed.

I smiled. "It's really comfortable as well," I observed. "I'll wear this."

I left Mother and Prim's room wearing the dress and a white cardigan my mother offered, along with simple black flats on my feet. I hadn't expected to find the right dress so quickly, so I had a couple hours to spare.

After setting down the cloths I had been previously wearing in the closet of Peeta's room, I went into his bathroom to redo my hair, which was a complete mess due to the fact that I hadn't bothered combing it this morning.

I practically lived in Peeta's room, and since we were supposedly married, the officials didn't have a problem with it. I was given a key so I could visit him whenever I wanted, which was often. Right now, Peeta was probably down helping in the kitchen, but I knew he would be back soon to prepare for the wedding as well.

I wrestled out the small elastic from my messy braid and began untangling the rat's nest upon my head with a wide-toothed comb in one of the wooden drawers in his bathroom. As I set the comb back inside the drawer, I heard the door to the room open, signifying that Peeta was back.

I began re-braiding my hair when I heard Peeta behind.

"Katniss you look beautiful," he told me while wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. I let go of my hair and sunk into his arms.

"It's my mother's dress. I'm borrowing it from her," I informed him.

"Well it makes you look even more beautiful than you already are."

I smiled. "Well you better get ready as well."

He nodded and we exited the bathroom. I sat down on his bed while he rummaged around in his closet for something suitable to wear. Finally, he pulled out a dark blue button down shirt and tan church pants before going into the bathroom to change. I picked at the hem of the dress I was wearing while Peeta changed. When he came back out he was dressed in the clothes he picked out and was running a comb through his hair.

"I brought some cookies up from the kitchen," Peeta said, setting down the comb and picking up a brown paper bag off the chair in the corner of the room.

"Did you make them?" I asked, my mouth already watering.

He grinned. "Yup." He sat down on the bed next to me and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie.

"For you," he said placing it in my waiting hand.

I took a bite out of the cookie. The rich velvety chocolate taste made my taste buds start dancing around my mouth. "Mmmm," I said with my mouth full. Peeta chuckled.

"I knew you'd like them," he said. "Have you ever had one before?"

I swallowed the bite I had taken before answering. "No, but I used to see them in the bakery window back in 12."

Peeta was about to say something when there was a knock on the door. He stood up and went to the door.

"Hi Prim!" I heard Peeta say after opening the door.

"Hi Peeta!" I recognized Prim's little voice.

I stood up with my cookie still in hand and went to the door as well.

"Katniss, you look beautiful!" Prim exclaimed when she saw me.

"But not as pretty as you, little duck," I smiled at her. She was wearing a light pink dress with a waistline on her hips and pink flats with bows on them. Her hair was also in two French braids.

"Prim, would you like a cookie? I just brought them up, straight from the oven," Peeta told her with a smile.

Prim's smile grew wider. "Yes, please!"

Peeta chuckled and made space to let her come in before closing the door. Prim sat on the edge of the bed while Peeta and I each sat on one side of her.

"Here you go," Peeta said, reaching into the bag and pulling out another delicate cookie before placing it in Prim's hands.

She took a bite and had the same reaction as me. "Mmmm," she moaned in satisfaction. Peeta and I both chuckled. "Peeta, this is amazing!" Prim gushed. "What is it?"

"It's a chocolate chip cookie," Peeta informed her. "Have you ever seen them at the bakery?"

Prim put a finger to her chin and pondered for a moment. "I think so. But to tell the truth, I don't remember too much about back then."

Prim stays with us until it was time to go to the ceremony hall. We went altogether, Peeta and I holding hands with Prim on my other side.

It took ages to get there, but once we did, I see huge double doors as the entrance to the room. Prim pushed them open to reveal a huge auditorium. There were wooden pew-like benches lining the room, and at the front was a small stage. Upon the small stage was a podium draped in carnations of bright blues and purples. Sunlight streamed in like stairways to heaven from a lined window on the wall behind the stage. I hear Prim gasp as she took in the sight, darting her curious blue eyes around the room.

"Wow!" I gasp. "This place is huge!"

"I know!" Prim squeals. "It's so pretty!"

We proceed into the auditorium and see that people are already sitting down in the pews in the front. I scan the crowd for anyone that I know. My breath stops short when my eyes land on a pair of grey orbs, shining with hope, staring right back at me.

My father was sitting with Mother near some other adults, but despite the constant chatter of the adults, Dad is completely oblivious to them. He is staring at me, his eyes only leaving me for a second to glance and Peeta and Prim. I fumble my hand around, latching it onto Peeta's, not peeling my eyes away for a second. Concern shines in Peeta's eyes as I quickly push him and Prim into a pew, far away from my father. Once we're seated, I peeled my eyes away from my dad's as Peeta turned to me.

"What's wrong Katniss?" he asked, keeping a hold on my hand.

I gulped. "My dad is here." A flash of understanding crossed Peeta's face. "And he was staring at me, but I don't know if he still is." Peeta began to lift his head to look but I quickly placed my other hand on his cheek and moved it back down. "No, don't look. I don't want him to know that he actually affects me or that I think about him." This made Peeta chuckle. "Why are you laughing? This is serious!" I scolded cautiously.

"You're always so proud," Peeta said.

"And I suppose that's a bad thing," I pouted.

Peeta smiled affectionately. "Nope. It's what makes you perfect." His thumb came up and stroked my cheek, and as hard as I tried to resist, I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face. We were interrupted by Prim giggling next to me. I turned around to see Prim giggling into her hand, obviously because of us.

"Prim, are you laughing at us?" I accused jokingly. "Because soon it's going to be your turn too."

This made Prim blush wildly and Peeta and I both laughed. "C'mere," I said, pulling Prim in a hug. When I pulled away, I looked at her. "Look at you, you've grown so big!" I said. We were then interrupted, once again, by a microphone booming out the priest's voice.

"Welcome everyone, and thank you for coming to the joining of two lovers in marriage," I heard the priest say. I turned towards the stage and settled down against the back of the pew. I took Peeta's hand in hand and gave him a smile. He replied with his own smile as he squeezed my hand.

Finnick came out of a door behind the stage and stood in front the podium, his hands clasped nervously in front of him. The music began and a door in the back opened, making everyone head swivel around. Out stepped Annie, dressed in one of my dresses from the Victory Tour. It was green and went all the way to the floor, framing her elegant figure. Her red hair was done up in an intricate bun made of braids, and her face was made up beautifully. But the thing most remarkable was her smile. She looked so happy, and once her eyes landed on Finnick, she smiled even more. The smile on her face made her shine, radiate more like. All eyes were fixed on her, as she gracefully glided down the aisle. I turned my gaze to Finnick, who was also grinning wildly.

Annie finally got to the aisle, and Finnick took her hands in his. They gazed into each other's eyes, completely oblivious to the audience in the auditorium. I involuntarily smiled, watching two of my close friends getting married.

The wedding was simple, with some district 4 wedding traditions. After their vows, Finnick and Annie kissed, and I couldn't help but smile. Afterwards, music came on, and people started dancing. Others went over to the refreshment table, and others with jobs left. Prim got up and went over to talk to Rory as Peeta pulled me up.

"Come on Katniss," Peeta said, dragging me along.

"Where are we going?" I questioned, letting him lead me.

"To dance, obviously."

"What? No way Peeta! You know I can't dance," I said, stopping in my tracks.

"Please Katniss? Just one dance?" he asked hopefully.

I sighed. "I can't say no to you. But when I step on your feet, don't say I didn't warn you."

We made our way to where everyone was dancing, and turned to face each other. A slow song was playing, so I placed my hands on his shoulders and he settled his on the small of my back. We began "dancing" but it was more like swaying with me occasionally stepping on his feet. But he didn't seem to care when I did. He was smiling the whole time, and I couldn't help but as well.

The song ended, and we made our way to the refreshment table.

I turned to Peeta. "You got your dance, happy now?"

He smiled from ear to ear. "I'm _very _happy actually. That was the best dance of my life," he replied, taking my hand in his. I couldn't help but smile for the billionth time that day.

We ate some food, making the most out of it since it was much better than the cafeteria food. I felt a tap on my shoulder and spun around to face the shining grey eyes of my father, letting go of Peeta's hand in the process.

"Katniss, I need to talk to you," Dad said.

"Yeah, no shit," I scoffed, crossing my arms.

He scrunched his eyebrows and was about to scold my language, but decided against it. He just shook his head and said, "Katniss, I'm so sorry about what I did. I regret it and think about how much it was a mistake every day."

"Well, apologizing won't help anyone now," I replied icily. I felt Peeta place his hand on my shoulder.

"Katniss, everyone makes mistakes," he said soothingly.

I scoffed. I can't believe that Peeta was on my dad's side. He got beat up and sent to the freaking hospital and still couldn't manage to hold a freaking grudge! I took a deep breath and turned to face Peeta.

"Peeta, sweetheart, we need to have a private conversation," I said.

He smiled and said, "Take your time," before leaving to go congratulate Finnick and Annie. I turned back to my father and sighed once again.

"Katniss, please, just hear me out. Like any other father, I reacted to the fact that my daughter was pregnant at seventeen years old. I didn't let you talk though, and that was a huge mistake on my part that I'll never forgive myself for. I-" I cut him off.

"Do you want to know the real reason why I'm angry concerning this whole mess?" I inquired.

"What is it?" he replied.

"It shows me that I'm always going to have to be afraid of what you're going to say." After receiving his confused glance, I continued, "It shows me that if someday after this crazy war, I actually did want to start a family with Peeta, would have to consult you first, even though really, I don't need your input to survive. I mean, I've been doing it for seven freaking years! Also, it means that if I really was pregnant, you wouldn't be supportive of me, no. You'd go and beat up the father, and force me to watch."

After my whole speech, _he _was speechless.

"That's what I thought." I was about to turn around when I decided to hit him with one more thing. "Oh, and instead of always apologizing to me, why don't apologize to Peeta? You sent him to the hospital after all."

"I did."

I was confused. "What? When?"

"While he was in the hospital. I didn't think he would remember, he seemed to passing in and out of consciousness." Then I remembered. He had told me he had a few visitors that day, but only told me about Gale. Dad must have been the other. I was speechless.

"G-good," I stuttered, unsure of what I should say.

"Can you please forgive me Katniss?" my father pleaded.

I bit my lip, unsure of what I should do. Peeta wanted me to forgive him, but I don't know.

"I don't know if I can forgive you, but I'm not angry anymore," I said. "But only because you had the dignity to apologize to Peeta," I added quickly.

He sighed in relief. "You don't know how relieved I am to hear that. Can you please come back home then? And by home, I mean our family room."

"Oh, that? Even if I did live there I would've snuck off every night," I said chuckling. Dad though, wasn't so amused.

"And where might that be?" he inquired. I blushed and he just raised his eyebrows.

"Peeta's room," I mumbled quietly.

He raised his eyebrows even more. "And what might you be doing there?" he asked, giving me one of those fatherly looks.

I laughed again. "No, nothing like that. He… he holds me when I wake up from nightmares about the Games. Which happens often, really." I looked over my shoulder to see Peeta hugging Annie and giving Finnick a friendly hand shake after saying congratulations. I felt myself smile wildly.

"Alright Katniss, I have to go now, thank you," my father said, smiling before he went back to Mother. I immediately scurried over to Peeta and congratulated Finnick and Annie as well, giving them each a hug.

After chatting with them a bit, Peeta pulled me over to the side.

"How'd it go?" Peeta asked quietly, putting a hand on my hip, holding my hand with his other.

I smiled. "Great, I think. I told him that I wasn't angry anymore, but I wasn't ready to forgive him."

"Baby steps," Peeta grinned, putting his forehead against his. He was about to kiss me, but I laughed and pulled away, keeping a grip on his hand though.

"Save it for when we get back to your room. We're in public, remember," I told him.

"Then I say it's time for us to get out of here," Peeta mumbled into my ear. I smiled up at him.

"I agree," I replied smiling.

We walked out of the auditorium hand in hand, but not before I stole a glance at my dad who saw me looking and smiled. I smiled back.

We went back to Peeta's room and began getting ready for bed. We didn't bother going to dinner, since we had already eaten at the wedding.

I went into the bathroom and took a shower. I was in the middle of washing my hair when I heard a knock on the door, making me jump.

"Katniss? Are you done yet?" I heard Peeta say through the door.

"No, now go away," I replied.

"Women…" I heard Peeta mumble. Just for that, I took an extra five minutes.

When I was finally done with my extra long shower, I got out and quickly towel dried my hair a bit before putting it back in a sleek black braid. I stepped out of the bathroom in my bathrobe to see Peeta sitting on the bed.

"Finally, Katniss. What took so long?" he asked, springing up from the bed.

I grinned. "That'll teach you to almost make me slip in the shower with your knocking," I said.

"Don't worry. If that happened, I would've come save you," he grinned.

"Oh yeah? What if the door was locked?" I challenged, gaining my own grin.

"Then I would've kicked it down with my incredible strength," Peeta joked, his eyes sparkling.

"Of course you would've, sweetheart."

He just smiled, and bent down to give me a kiss on the lips. I blushed, considering that I wasn't wearing anything except my bathrobe. He didn't seem to notice though. He just smiled and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I quickly put on some sweats and a large t-shirt and clambered into bed. Soon after, Peeta came out of the bathroom, fully dressed, and climbed in next to me. As usual, I snuggled into his arms, placing my hands on his chest and resting my head in the crook of his neck. I closed my eyes and felt his strong arms wrap around my torso.

"I love you Peeta," I told him.

"I love you too Katniss. I always will," he replied.

That night, I fell asleep smiling.

Little did I know that in the corner of the room was someone smiling. He was smiling because his daughter had finally found someone to love.

**A/N: AHHH! STALKER DAD! Haha. Anyways, I'm proud of this chapter! It's like, 3,500 words! Celebration! And next chapter will be chapter ten, so that'll be even longer in celebration of the story being one tenth finished. That's right, this story will be exactly 100 chapters long, and if I feel the need, I'll write a sequel after that! And is it just me, or did I use the word smile, or smiled, or smiling way too much in this chapter? Oh, and don't forget to… wait for it… hold on… one second… here it comes… REVIEW!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Cut!" I hear one of the camera crew members yell. I let out a groan of frustration, letting the sleek black bow Beetee made for me slip out of my clenched fist and onto the grey carpeted floor of the studio.

Plurtach, Coin's second in command, stands up from the chair he was sitting in on the other side of the camera and sets down the overflowed clipboard in his hands onto the tiny black table next to him.

"Katniss, you really need to focus. This propo is important," he informs me, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration.

I let out another huff in frustration. I had been dragged over to some studio to film what everyone calls a propo. It's basically a commercial-like thing that'll be broadcasted all across Panem to advertise the rebel side of the war and is mostly just propaganda, which is where they got the name I guess. I look up at Plurtach.

"I _know _that. And I'm trying, but I just can't do it," I explain annoyed. The camera crew had given me a simple line to say, and then I was supposed to shoot a fake arrow towards a certain point, but I kept screwing up.

Plurtach sighs. "Well, how 'bout we take a break?" I nod and pick up the bow I had thrown on the ground, but not before I see Plurtach turn around and mumble, "I need some coffee."

I sigh and make my way off the pretend set of the battle area. The background was a green screen, but a few props lined the set, supposedly to make the set look more believable. I stumble over to Peeta, who also stood behind the camera and had been watching me. He gives me an amused smile, which causes me to scowl, resulting in him letting out a chuckle.

"Kat, it's really not that hard," he says as I cross my arms in defense. Wait, since when does he call me Kat?

"Well, obviously not to _you. _You've always been good on camera," I say.

"Well, what is it that you're struggling with love?" he asks me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I take a shaky breath. "I don't know… I guess I just need a moment to gather my bearings."

Peeta is about to respond when someone yells out, "Back on the set, everyone!"

Peeta looks down and smiles at me. "I'm sure you'll do great." He gives me a kiss on the forehead. "You are Katniss Everdeen, after all," he compliments. He unravels arm from around me and gives me one last kiss on the cheek before he begins walking towards the exit. I grab his arm.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

He face seems to conflict when I ask that. "I… I need to go do something. Something that should've been done a long time ago." He gives a smile before exiting through the door to the studio, leaving me standing there wondering what he could mean.

I just shake my head and get back onto the set, taking a deep breath before I hear the director yell, "And… action!"

**Peeta's POV****(we haven't POV switched for a while, eh?)**

I give Katniss one last reassuring smile before shoving the door open, revealing the long, narrow hallway of the studio area. I shut the door behind me and step out into the hallway, taking a deep breath and preparing myself for what I was about to do. And it's true, it's something that should have been done long ago, and until I did it, I wouldn't feel at peace.

I nervously stride through the hallway. Glaring white walls stand on either side of me, and just like the rest of Thirteen, grey carpeting catches my feet. I feel my palms beginning to sweat. This encounter could go so many ways, all of which I've played in my head numerous times.

After what seems like too little time, I'm out of the studio area and in the main corridor. This one is less deserted; people walk in and out of the rooms lining the crème colored walls. I decide to check Katniss' family room first, as that is where he'll most likely be.

Basically, I was going to talk to Mr. Everdeen. I felt that I had to prove to him that I was worthy of Katniss. I didn't want to be on his bad side when I was in a relationship with his daughter. Now that the whole fake pregnancy issue had been sorted out, it was the perfect time to sort everything out, and let him know my intentions. I didn't know why I was so nervous, yet I did. I try to tell myself he couldn't hate me, especially since he actually came and tried to apologize. Then again, maybe it was only to win Katniss' trust and respect back.

All these thoughts and theories race through my mind, and before I know it, I'm standing in front of Katniss' family room door. I gulp and take a deep breath, forcing my hand up into the air and into a fist. I hesitantly knock on the door, mentally preparing myself for what was to come.

The door flings open and I'm met by little Prim. I feel myself relax and allow a small smile onto my face.

"Peeta!" she squeals before flinging herself into my arms. I'm momentarily surprised at the sudden gesture of affection, but quickly hug her back.

"How have you been, Prim? I haven't seen you in a while," I tell her after pulling away.

"Oh, it's been great!" she squeaks, her smile radiating warmth. Her hair is pulled back in two French braids, similar to how it was at the reaping. A simple yellow sundress adorns her young figure, making her blue eyes look as bright as the sun. "I've recently been given an apprentice job at the hospital where Mother works, and I've met a ton of new people! Some of the patients there tell me these amazing stories! Some are about life in other districts, and some are about how they made it to Thirteen! There are some really brave people out there, you know," Prim rambles on excitedly. I smile as I listen, noticing the dimples on her cheeks when she smiles, and the way her eyes gain a certain twinkle when she talks about the patients. "And the best thing of all is how happy Dad is again! Ever since he made up with Katniss, he seems more and more like the father I remember."

"That's great!" And I mean it. Because if that's true, it means that there's less chance of him not liking me. That makes me remember my original goal. I gulp and turn to Prim, taking on a serious face. "Speaking of your dad, I was wondering… if he was… here?" I ask nervously.

The smile on her face suddenly falters when she realizes what my intentions are. "No, he had something to do during lunch hour, so he's in the cafeteria now having a late lunch," she explains. "You want to talk to him, don't you?" She says it more like a statement rather than a question.

"Uh… yeah," I reply. "I just thought that since I'm in a relationship with your sister, I assumed it would be important to be on his good side after everything that has happened."

Prim smiles a small smile. "Trust me, if you go and talk to him, he'll definitely appreciate it."

"Thanks, Prim. Hey, I'll see you later."

She nods. "Oh, and Peeta, good luck." She gives me one last smile before disappearing behind the door of the room.

So I turn on my heel and make my way to the cafeteria, with a newfound confidence from Prim's words in my stride.

I push open the double doors to the cafeteria, and see the usually crowded tables almost empty. There are a few people around, obviously those who have jobs that run through lunch hour.

My eyes quickly scan the room and land on a table in one of the far corners, where I see a brown-haired man sitting at the table, who I know as Mr. Everdeen.

I quickly wipe my sweaty palms on the side of my jeans and begin my walk over to the table he is sitting at. He doesn't seem to notice me until I'm right next to the table.

"Mr. Everdeen," I greet, forcing myself not to let my words stumble. His head snaps up from his plate to see whoever had said his name.

"Hello, Peeta. What can I do for you?" he says in a casual manner. I decide to take it as a good sign.

"Hi, I just wanted to… talk," I manage out.

This makes him looked perplexed. "What about?"

"Well… uh… you see… I thought… what I mean to say is," I stumble.

"Calm down and take a seat," he says, gesturing to the seat across from him. I sit down hesitantly. "Alright, now spit it out." I'm really stunned by his casual tone. I expected him to be kind of held back.

I take a deep breath before talking. "You see, I thought it would be… appropriate to formally introduce myself, since I have a… relationship with your daughter. We kind of got off to a rocky start, and I want to assure you of my intentions." There we go, that's more like it.

A pleased look washes over his face. "Yes, that's very responsible of you," he says. Yes! He clears his throat. "So Peeta, tell me about yourself."

"What would you like to know?" I ask politely.

"Your… family owned the bakery, correct?"

"Yes."

He nods. "So, Katniss told me something about you burning some bread on purpose to give it to her. What was that all about? I didn't quite understand what she meant."

I chuckle. "She's never going to let that one go. Well, basically, it was when we were eleven. I guess she hadn't been able to find anything in the woods that day since it was winter, and didn't have any food for her mother and Prim. So she tried selling some clothes or something, but apparently it didn't work out so well. She was so desperate that she resorted to digging through the trash cans of the merchant stores, the first one being our bakery." I take a deep breath. This was where it got ugly. "My… my mother found her digging through the rubbish bins, and immediately began to shoo her off and yell at her. Katniss, she backed away from the bins at my mother's words and slumped down to sit against a tree. I was standing behind Mother, and the look on her face made me want to die." I wince as I remember the dullness of her eyes and the bags drooping underneath them. "So I purposefully slightly burned two loaves of bread. A received a beating for it, but when Mother wasn't looking, I tossed them over to Katniss, so she could bring them home back to her family." I look down at the table, making out images in the cracked white paint. When he still hasn't responded, I look up at him.

His eyes glow with respect.

"Thank you," he says, breaking the silence. "Thank you, Peeta. You helped her when I couldn't, and for that, I will forever be in your debt."

I feel myself smile in relief. "You don't have to be. I mean, I loved her. It broke my heart to see her like that."

"Ok, but remember that if you ever need a favor, you know where to find me," he reassures me, giving me a warm smile similar to Katniss' before standing up with his empty tray.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," I reply.

Still keeping a hold on his tray with one hand, he reaches out his other hand to shake with mine. I gladly shake it with my own.

"Just guard her from danger, ok Peeta?" he asks after releasing my hand.

"With my life," I respond with a smile.

And it's true. I will.

**Ugh you guys don't know how long it took for me to write this! Do you guys like this chapter. I don't really, it seemed kind of pointless to me, but oh well. I'm so sorry it took me so long to update, but my English teacher decided to give us 3 projects to do over spring break. Blech.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Yay! Chapter… I have no idea what chapter this is. 12, I think? I hope so, cause that's my lucky number! :D I really have like no idea what I'm doing for this chapter, but hopefully it'll turn out good. :P I would've updated sooner, but I had to go shave my arms… *awkward cough* yeah, never mind.**

**Also, I want to give a shout-out to Ash28999 for her AWESOME REVIEW! First, she compared me to Suzanne Collins (I fainted for about half a second), and then she gave me like 12 SMILEYS! I mean, what more could a girl ask for? ;D Thank you Ash, I LOVE YOU! (in a writer to reader sort of way ^_^)**

**Last of all, I just need to rant about this real fast. Who else hear hates those prudes who are all like, 'I'm gunna report you if you don't follow the rules' ? Cause I know I do. I was reading this awesome story and I read the reviews and some chick is all like 'If you don't change your story, I'm gunna have to report you.' So I go on the chick's profile and she has this whole little section saying, 'I review first telling people about their mistakes but I will go through with my threats' and 'English not being your first language isn't an excuse for grammar errors' and I was like WHO THE HECK DOES THIS CHICK THINK SHE IS? I don't know it just looked like she thought everyone had to write to her expectations. I blocked her right away so that I didn't get spammed with her 'threats'.**

**Sorry for that rant and my long authors notes. :P **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games, or the characters, or the setting, or… anything else really…**

**Katniss' POV:**

"What other options can we choose from? Feeding her lines I obviously not working," Plurtach stated. Obviously, he was talking about my attempt at a propo. It had failed miserably.

"I have an idea," Haymitch announced gruffly. "Think about it. Think about all the times that Katniss has touched your heart or left a lasting impression."

The room went silent for a couple of seconds, before Plurtach spoke up. "When she volunteered for her sister at the Reaping. To protect her."

Haymitch nodded. "Perfect. What else have we got?"

"When she sang Rue to sleep," one of the members of my film crew said.

"When she kissed Peeta before going to the Feast!" Octavia blurted out quickly. My whole prep team was here to make sure I looked my best during filming, of course.

Haymitch nodded again. "Exactly. These are all things that have shaped Katniss in people's minds. And during all of these events, was she fed lines, or was she really just being herself?"

The room went silent, but we all knew the answer.

"What are you trying to say, Haymitch?" Plurtach asked unsurely.

Haymitch sighed. "What I'm saying, is that if we want good footage, we have to get her in some real action. That's where the magic happens. In action."

"I guess that could be arranged," Pluratch responded slowly. "We'll have to set up some precautions to make sure she stays safe though, of course. Wouldn't want our Mockingjay to get hurt, now would we?"

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably.

Coin stood up from her seat at the head of the table. "The meeting is dismissed. Katniss, we will alert you of any advances in this plan."

I nodded before sliding out of my seat. I sauntered through the hallways and made my way through the kitchen, where I knew Peeta was helping the cooks prepare for dinner.

I opened the door to the main kitchen and almost immediately a sweet aroma filled my senses and the heat of the ovens made my eyes tear up. It smelled like cinnamon and crème, which surprised me since we had never been given either of those things at any meal.

No one seemed to mind me coming in, since everyone knew who I was, so I made my way through the workers and ovens until I saw a familiar head of blonde hair. I came up behind him and wrapped my arms around his torso from behind, making him jump in surprise.

"Katniss, you scared me!" Peeta laughed as he turned around.

I released my hold on him and smiled. "That was my objective," I responded matter-of-factly. "Are you almost done? I'm getting bored on my own."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, of course. God forbid that Katniss Everdeen gets _bored!_" I smacked him lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey…"

"Alright I'm sorry," he chuckled. "But in response to your question, I actually just finished," he said before removing his apron and hanging it up.

We were about to start walking out of the kitchen when the intercom above us crackled to life.

"_Citizens of District 13. We have just received notice that Capitol hovercrafts loaded with bombs are approaching the District. Please do not panic and calmly proceed your assigned emergency quarters."_

"Shit," I mutter. "They're bombing us again."

The next moment, it's total chaos. Baking utensils are flying in the air, aprons are thrown to the ground, and everyone is running. Peeta grabs my hand and we both begin to run as well. We throw ourselves out of the entrance to the kitchen, and I immediately spot Mother, Father, and Prim in the crowd. I drag Peeta over to where they are, and quickly grab Prim's hand with my free one. We push through the crowd, Peeta, Prim, and I linked by our hands and Mother and Father linked the same way.

We finally make it to the doors which hide the emergency quarters, and quickly shove through the doors. It's less crowded here, as people have escaped to their assigned quarters. My breathing is coming out in raggedy gasps and I'm sure my braid has been destroyed, but I couldn't care less. All that mattered was that my family was safe. And Peeta, but I guess to all the districts we were family, since he had told all of Panem that we were married.

There are a few people in the main emergency corridor with us, but none of them stand out to me until my eyes find a familiar snarl.

"Johanna!"

**Sorry for the shortness but its 9:40pm and if I don't get in bed soon my mom is going to kill me. :P Remember to review! Reviews=UPDATE! (tee hee I'm one of those weird people who like math and English class more than science and social studies! :D) **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in forever but my laptop broke :/ it's all better now though :) But this is going to be a good chapter to make up for the wait, especially if you like a jealous Katniss.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. That's all there is to it.**

"Johanna!"

She turned to look at me. "Katniss? Peeta?"

She was just about to approach us when a District 13 official blocked her path.

"Miss, please report to your assigned area," he told her. Then he looked at us. "You too," he ordered, pointing at Peeta, Prim, and I.

"Alright, I'll see you as soon as I can Peeta," I tell him. He nods and gives me a quick kiss on the lips before untangling his fingers from mine and pushing his way through the crowd towards the M compartment. I dragged Prim towards the E compartment, for Everdeen of course.

When we got there, Prim and I spotted Mother and Father already there sitting next to each on a bunk with a worried look on their face. When they saw us, they instantly relaxed.

"What are we going to do?" my mother interrogated, taking Prim into her arms for a hug.

"I don't know," my father replied, rubbing my mother's back. "But we'll be safe, I promise."

A shiver went down my spine at his words. Last time I made a promise was the Prim, saying she wouldn't get reaped. And look how well _that _turned out.

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

A large _boom _erupted overhead, and I knew it was the bombs. I curled myself even closer to Peeta.

We were sitting on his bunk in the M compartment with Johanna sitting on the bunk above us. He had his arms wrapped around me and my legs were slung over his legs, so that they formed a sort of X shape.

"C'mon," Peeta said, untangling himself from me. I grasped his arm.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"_We _have to get up. No point in just sitting here. Let's at least move around a little." He pulled me up from my seat and took my hand, leading me out of the compartment. We maneuvered the compartment and were about to exit when someone stepped into our path.

"Hey Peeta," A girl with shiny blonde hair purred. She turned to me a looked me up and down with her sea green eyes and a look of disgust on her face before turning back to Peeta. I immediately didn't like this girl or her huge chest either.

"Uh, hi…" Peeta replied uncomfortably.

"The name's Kaia," she said in a seductive tone, taking a step closer to Peeta, making him take a step back.

"Um, ok…" I could tell he was really uncomfortable now. And I was just mad.

"Excuse me," I interrupted. "But we have to get going."

If looks could kill, I would've been dead on the floor from the look she gave me. I just smiled a smug grin in reply.

She turned back to Peeta, and her face retook its seductive look. "Ok, but if you want to find me, Peeta," She walked her fingers up his shoulder and leaned up so that her mouth was right by his ear. "I'll be in the B compartment." After giving me a smug smile, she stalked off, her long hair obnoxiously bouncing off her back.

I scoffed. "Yeah, B for bit-"

"Katniss," Peeta cut me off, giving me a look. I sighed and dropped Peeta's hand. I folded my arms in front of my chest and began walking ahead of him at a fast pace. In a sense, I was furious that he had let her do that.

"Katniss, wait!" I heard him call. I turned around and stood impatiently, putting on my best scowl. When he caught up to me, he said, "Katniss, love, what's wrong?"

"That girl! That's what's wrong!" I exclaimed. "I can't believe you let her do that!"

"Katniss, just calm down-"

"No, I won't! Ugh, just forget it." I turned on my heels and began stalking off again.

I made it to the hallway that separates the compartments before I felt someone gently grab my arm and pull me into a closet. The door shut and locked but I couldn't see anything since it was pitch black in the closet. The light flickered on and I saw Peeta standing in front of me. Before I could say a thing, he grasped my hips and connected his lips with mine. I was about to pull away but the kiss felt so good, so I slung my arms around his neck and melted into the kiss.

When he pulled away, I was disappointed. "Will you tell me now why you're so upset?" he asked while kissing my jaw.

I sighed. "It's just that, there are so many girls like that, with long pretty hair and huge chests, and then there's ugly me," I told him. "They're willing to give you so much more than what I'm willing to give you."

I looked down at my feet so that I wouldn't have to look at the expression on his face. My arms were still around his neck and his hands were still grasping my hips. After a few seconds, I looked up at him, and saw a sly smile implanted his face. I raised an eyebrow in confusion as he gently pinned me to the wall of the closet.

"Well Katniss," he began as he planted a small kiss on my temple. "If you don't mind me saying," He leaned colder so that his ear was just centimeters from my ear. "I'd say that you're un-deniably _beautiful."_

I blushed and looked away, but he took my chin and turned my face back to look at him. "Katniss, I love you."

"Prove it," I challenged, a smile overtaking my face.

Before I knew it, he was kissing me with a passion I had never known Peeta could possess. I kissed him back with the same fierceness, discovering a whole new type of hunger. Peeta dragged his hands up and down my hips, and I played with the little hairs on the back of his neck. I let out a tiny gasp when I felt his fingers slip just underneath the hem of my shirt, just so that his thumbs were resting on the skin of my abdomen. But I instantly relaxed as he began rubbing his thumbs in tiny circles. The feel of his strong hands on my tender skin had soothing effect, but also made me lose my focus. I could barely form complete thoughts.

He broke the kiss and began kissing the skin on my neck. "I love you too, Peeta," I whispered. I felt his hands slide up my back as he returned his lips to mine.

I broke the kiss and looked at Peeta. "Take it off, Peeta," I panted, referring to my shirt.

"Are you sure, Katniss? I don't want to do anything you're not comfortable with," he said uncertainly.

I nodded. "As sure as I'll ever be. I trust you more than anyone else, Peeta."

In one swift movement, my top was off of my body and lying in a puddle on the floor. He pulled back a bit, taking me in. I suddenly felt extremely self conscious as his eyes glazed over the small covering I had on just barely covering my chest. My arms came up and covered my chest as I averted my burning face away from his view.

"Don't hide from me," he whispered into my ear as he pulled my arms away from my chest. I let them flop to my sides as his hands retook their places on my hips. "You're so beautiful, Katniss. So, so beautiful."

We didn't go any farther than that, though. But even so, I loved Peeta even more after that event, if that is even possible.

**A/N: I liked writing this chapter. I love when Katniss gets jealous. :) And let me tell you now, this is not going to be the last we see of Kaia. She's going to become one of those characters that you can't help but hate. Kind of like Gale. No offense all you Gale lovers out there. :) **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: ! Ah, such a ga-lorious time. And you know what that means… TIME TO WRITE! YAAAAAAAAAA!**

**IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! I'm leaving this Friday to go on a five week trip to Europe, so I won't be able to update, since I won't be able to get wifi on my laptop there. BUT, I am bringing my laptop, so I will still be able to use Microsoft word. So, I'm gunna write you guys up a ton of chapters while I'm there, and post them when I get back. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Hunger Games Trilogy. All credit goes to Suzanne Collins.**

That night, Prim and I shared a mattress. I'm comforted by her tiny presence, but it's nothing compared to Peeta's arms around me. Still, I'm grateful for her.

Somehow, Mother and Father are able to fall asleep wrapped in each other's arms, but Prim and I lie awake.

"Katniss?" she whispers.

"Yes, Prim?" I reply.

"I'm scared," she whimpers.

"Oh Prim," I comfort her as I pull her closer to me. "It'll be over before you know it, I promise."

She only nods before continuing. "How much do you love Peeta?" she asks.

I'm stunned by the bluntness of her question, but reply. "As much as my heart can allow, and that's a lot."

"How do you know?" she asks. "Like, how do you know that you love him?"

I grin down at her. Obviously, she's got her eye on a boy. "C'mon, Prim. Who is it?"

I can see her blush even through the dark blanket of night that envelopes us.

She sighs. "Rory. Hazelle says that he loves me."

I chuckled. "You're way too young to be able to realize if you love someone or not."

"Still, how do you know, for future reference," she insisted. I chuckled again. I never pictured myself having this conversation with Prim.

I sighed. "It feels like- like no hurt me when I'm around Peeta. Like I'm invincible, but at the same time, I'm extremely vulnerable. In a good way. I also feel like I don't have to be afraid to cry around him, to let my emotions run wild. It's a feeling that makes it seem like I'm walking on air, as if I'm flying."

Prim nods. "I get it," she whispers. She's silent for a minute before asking, "If he asked you to marry him, would you say yes?"

I was speechless. "Prim, I-I don't know. I love him with all my heart, but this isn't the right time. We're in the middle of a war, an-and we're so young," I started, but she cut me off.

"No, not now. Five years from now. When we've won the war and you're living in Victor's Village together. Maybe not in the same house, but right next to each other. If one day, he dragged you out to the meadow at midnight and proposed, would you say yes?" **(That's how he proposed in my other story! :D) **

I stared at her, stunned. Where had she gotten that from? "I guess?" I replied uncertainly.

She grinned before turning over in the bed. "Goodnight, Katniss."

"Goodnight, Prim," I replied.

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

Three days later, the bombs finally stop. We're released from our emergency quarters, but as soon as I step out, I know something is wrong. Suspicion lingers in the air and the scent of murder whispers through my ears. I grab Peeta's hand with my own and he can sense my discomfort.

He squeezes my hand in effort to put me at peace, but it doesn't work.

As we wait for my family, Johanna, and Finnick and Annie, I see that evil girl Kaia. I don't like her. At all. There's something off about her, and that night, my suspicions are proven.

We were in the cafeteria, Finnick, Annie, Johanna, Peeta, and I. I saw her walk in and my fists involuntarily clenched.

"Whoa there, Katniss. Are you ok?" I heard Finnick ask. My head snapped up. "You were stabbing your food pretty ferociously there."

I looked down at my food and sure enough, it was just a big mess. I sighed and ate it anyways, since I knew I couldn't throw it away with District 13's 'no waste' rule.

After dinner, Peeta went straight back to his room, but I decided to go give my family a visit before joining him.

But as I was walking back to Peeta's room, I heard someone in the hallway. I recognized the voice. Kaia.

I heard her walking towards my spot, and it sounded like she was using a phone. I darted into an open closet and locked the door behind me. My hands fumbled for the light switch, and after the bright florescent bulb lit on above me, I pressed my ear to the wooden door in hopes to hear what she was saying.

Luckily, she stopped right in front of the door, so I could hear everything.

"I know, but she already hates me. This is going to be harder than I thought." There was a pause, and then she said, "I know I was supposed to befriend her, but that scowl can really put someone off. Plus, her blond boyfriend is just irresistible."

I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep myself from gasping. She was talking about Peeta! She was talking about _me!_

"Tell President Snow that I'm working on it, and that there was a little problem, but I won't fail him. Tell him that I will have Katniss Everdeen kidnapped and in the Capitol by the end of the month."

I felt myself begin to hyperventilate. She was here to kidnap me? I forced myself to calm down and listened to hear her walk down the hall. I slowly opened the door, and once I realized that I was alone, I sprinted to Peeta's room. I didn't even bother knocking, I just burst right in. I quickly shut the door behind me and turned around to see Peeta walking towards me with a confused face.

"Katniss, what happened?" he asked concerned.

He took my hand and led me over to the bed where I sat down. I forced myself to stop panting and choke out four words.

"Kaia is a spy."


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters except for Kaia**

**A/N: This chapter is going to sound a lot like what happened in the book. But just wait and keep reading. There's a twist :)**

**P.S. I realized that my timing for when things happen and Peeta is rescued is a little off, so let's pretend that Peeta was rescued earlier, a little before they made the first propo.**

_Italics= what happened last chapter_

_He [Peeta] took my hand and led me over to the bed where I sat down. I forced myself to stop panting and choke out four words._

"_Kaia is a spy."_

"A spy? For who?" Peeta asked.

"Who do you think? Snow! And I heard her say that she would 'have me in the Capitol by the end of the month'. What am I going to do? The Capitol is sending spies to capture me!" I exclaimed.

"Katniss, you're overreacting. Obviously, whatever tactic that Kaia was supposed to use to capture you has failed, since you won't go anywhere near her," he said.

"I heard her say that she was supposed to befriend me, but a couple things had turned her off." I scowled as I remembered what she had said.

"Yeah, so she's obviously not a very good 'spy'. You just need to make sure to not get anywhere too close to her, or be with someone else all the time."

"But what if they send someone else?" I suggested.

"I think you'd be able to take down anyone they sent as long as you got your hands on a bow," he grinned at me.

"I hope you're right, Peeta," I said unsurely.

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

The next day, Thursday, I was called for a meeting in Command.

At the head of the dull, grey table sat Coin, obviously. On her right was Finnick, and to her left was Boggs. Next to Boggs sat Beetee, tapping away at some contraption about the size of his palm.

Gale sat next to Finnick much to my dislike, and next to him was Haymitch. I took a seat next to Beetee, across from Haymitch.

"Ms. Everdeen, nice of you to join us," Coin greeted giving me a polite nod. "We actually called you in today to discuss the chance for a propo in Eight," she informed me before nodding at Haymitch.

Hyamitch turned to me. "Alright, so there was a heavy bombing in eight this morning, but we think that its run its course. There were many wounded, and a refugee hospital has been set up there. We want to send you there and film you conversing with the patients in the hospital." He turned back to Coin.

Coin nodded. "Yes. It's very high risk though. There's a lot that could-"

"I want to go," I interrupted her.

She seemed pleased with my answer. "It' very risky though," she warns, but I'm not fazed.

"Send me. I want to do something real," I insist.

She nods. "Alright. Be ready to board the hovercraft in two hours."

)))))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((

_1 and a half hour later…_

"Don't worry so much, Peeta. I'll be fine," I said for the millionth time as I plaited my hair back. I turned around and looked at the clock. "I have to go now."

He sighed. "Ok." He came closer to me and gave me a light peck on the lips. "I'll see you soon?"

I smiled. "I'll see you soon."

And with that, I opened the door and stepped into the hallway, beginning my stride to Weaponry, where Beetee had my bow for me and Cinna's Mockingjay suit was being held.

A half hour later, I was being escorted onto the hovercraft. It was only a short time later when we landed.

We're spit out onto the hot asphalt of District 8; we being Gale, Boggs, and I. I also notice my new camera crew, which is made up of two cameramen that look like they're wearing insect shells, the female director Cressida who has vines tattooed on her head instead of hair and her assistant Messalla, who has multiple earrings in each ear. He even has a piercing on his tongue.

Boggs leads us all through an alley encased by two tall, grey warehouses, until we reach an access ladder, which leads us up onto the street.

Once we've reached the street, I do a double take at the sight.

Moaning wounded victims everywhere, with scarred faces to people without legs. Men in white uniforms and indifferent looks are bringing them in towards the sorry excuse for a hospital in ripped stretchers, wheelbarrows, carts, anything that they could get a hold on. Some are even slung over shoulders or carried in arms. An odor of sweat and blood drifts through the air as the humid air seeps into our skin.

_Blood, _my mind registers. _So much blood…_

It reminds me of the kitchen table back home, always filled with one of my mother's bleeding or starving patients, desperate for one more chance to live.

A lady with puffy brown eyes directing patients into the hospital catches sight of us and approaches us.

"Commander Paylor of Eight," Boggs introduces. "Commander, Soldier Katniss Everdeen."

Commander? She looks young to be a commander; she can't possibly be over 35.

"Yes, yes. I know who she is." She glances at me. "So you're alive. We weren't sure."

Her authoritative tone makes me rethink my last observation of her.

"Well, here I am…" I trail off.

Boggs leans towards Paylor and whispers, "There was an unfortunate miscarriage, but she insisted on coming to see your wounded."

"Don't worry, we've got tons of those," Paylor grimaced.

Gale frowns at the hospital. "Do you think that's a good idea? Organizing a hospital like this?"

As much as I'm still mad at Gale, I can't help but agree. Keeping them so close together like that would spread a contagious disease like wildfire.

"I thought it might be slightly better than leaving them on the streets," she snaps back, which shuts Gale right up.

Without another word, Paylor opens up the door to the hospital and gestures me inside with a questioning look, as if she were testing my strength and seeing if I would actually go inside. I take a few steps towards the door before an incredible stench of blood fills my senses, but I keep walking.

The sight inside the hospital is even worse than the one outside. Moaning bodies covered with dirt and scratches and burns litter the beds pushed against the wall in a uniform line. Flies itch my skin, irritating the flesh. The stench of vomit and soiled bandages joins the blood now freely flowing through my nasal system. It's all I can do to not turn around and run away.

I drag my feet a little further, but stop when I hear my name.

"Katniss?" someone croaks out from the left. "Katniss Everdeen?" I see a hand reach out in my direction. I grab onto it and see it's attached to a young woman. Dirt streaks her face and her leg is wrapped in bandages, seeping with blood and swarmed with flies. "Is it- is it you? For real?"

"Yes, it's me," I reply softly.

An expression of joy overtakes the pain that had previously been present. "You're here! You're alive! We didn't know!"

I managed a small grimace. "I got pretty banged up, but I got better, just like you will."

Her face lights up at my words before she exclaims, "I need to tell my brother! Eddy! Eddy! Look! She's here! Katniss Everdeen!"

I see a boy, no older than twelve, turn to us. His face is covered in bandages to the point where I can only see half of his face. When he sees me, the half of his mouth I can see flexes into an 'o' shape, illustrating utter exclamation. I walk over to him and push back his dark curls like I had done to Peeta so many times before. His visible eye trains on me as I whisper a greeting, as if he were mesmerized just by my face.

"Katniss!"

"Katniss? Katniss Everdeen?"

"She's here! She's here!"

I hear my name ripple through the hospital as people get a glance of me. I move through the narrow hallway created by the beds, reaching out to take a hold of widows' hands, caress a child's face. One man even takes my face in his hands, and I silently thank Dalton for suggesting no make-up. It would feel so wrong to be amongst these dying people with a painted Capitol mask on my face. It's my imperfections and flaws that make people recognize me.

People become devastated when they learn that I lost the baby. One woman even begins weeping. I want to tell her so badly that it was all just a lie, an act to gain pity, but I can't. It wouldn't help anyone's image, especially not Peeta's.

I finally realize the amount of people that were on my side, throughout all of it. The thousands of people cheering me on. _She has no idea, the effect she can have, _Peeta's voice rings through my ears. His words finally gain meaning as I understand what he meant. I may not be good with words, but my actions in the past have created something. A spark that not even the president or the Mockingjay herself could suppress.

I converse with the patients until I'm standing on a table waving my last goodbyes to the people who may or may not live through this war. When we're finally outside I slump against the wall of a warehouse.

"That was great, Katniss," Boggs says.

"We got some great stuff in there!" Messalla says excited. Oh yeah, I forgot they were filming me.

Boggs' face suddenly turns worried. "We need to get to the airstrip, now. Incoming bombers."

I'm yanked to my feet and my helmet is yanked over my head. I take off running down an alley that leads to the airstrip, but I don't sense any threat. The sky is a cloudless blue, not swarming with Capitol hovercrafts. But suddenly, a screeching siren penetrate my ears, and hovercrafts appear in the sky. Bombs begin raining down in a never-ending shower, blowing me off my feet and throwing me against the front wall of a warehouse. The space above the back of my right knee explodes into a searing pain, and something has struck me in the back as well, but I don't think it penetrated the vest. I try to push myself back up, but Boggs shoves me back down and uses his body to shield me.

Bombs keep falling, making the ground ripple and send a strange vibrating sensation through my ears. Suddenly, a crackling noise fills my ear and I hear Haymitch through the earpiece he gave me.

"Katniss!" I hear.

"Haymitch! What's going on? Does the Capitol know I'm here?" I panic.

"Beetee thinks that this attack was prearranged, so it's a high chance that they don't know you're here," he informs me.

Then I hear Plutarch. "Can you guys make it to a blue warehouse right around the corner of the alley? You'll be safe there."

"We'll try," I hear Boggs say from on top of me.

"Then go!" Plutarch exclaims. I guess he was talking into everyone's earpieces, because we all start making a move towards the alley. My leg feels like it's about to fall off, but I grit my teeth and keep going.

A bomb lands not far from where I'm running, blasting me back a few feet. This time, a throbbing pain appears in my foot. My hands find the flat wall of a warehouse and I feel myself lean against it. I bare my teeth in pain, and honestly think I won't be able to go on, when Peeta's face appears in my mind. How worried he was when I told him about the trip to Eight, the way he holds me so close to him at night…

No, I have to go on. I can't give up. I have to make it back to Peeta.

"Move! Move! Move!" I hear Boggs shout, but I'm already pushing myself off the wall. The movement of my leg sends a burning sensation right to the tips of my being, but with this new motive in mind, I force myself to keep going. I can worry about the pain later.

"There it is!" I hear Boggs shout, pointing to a faded blue warehouse. I start sprinting towards it, when another wave of bombs starts. I brace myself for the impact, realizing that they've seen me, when I realize that they aren't coming anywhere near us. So what could they be targeting? It's only a matter of seconds before I realize the answer.

The hospital.

"They're targeting the hospital!" I exclaim. "We have to help!"

"There's no time!" Boggs replies.

"But there's no one but the wounded in there!" Gale replies. For now, I'll have to get forget my resentment towards him for a minute. I'm going to need all the help I can get.

Boggs is about to reply when the firing of a gun interrupts him. Someone is fighting back,

I realize the gunshots are coming from a brown warehouse just across from the alley. I quickly sprint over to an access ladder leading to the roof of the warehouse where I know the gun is being fired. I hear Gale behind me, and Boggs yelling at us to stop.

I begin scaling the ladder, ignoring the pain in my leg.

"Katniss, don't you even think about it!" Haymitch growls in my ear. I quickly tear out the earpiece, using one hand to continue climbing, and throw it off to the side.

When we reach the top, I see Paylor and a few other soldiers shooting. Paylor turns to us.

"Boggs know you're up here?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, he know we're up here," I reply. And before anyone can say another word, my bow is in hand and I've notched three arrows in. I turn to Gale and see he's done the same thing. I give him a nod before letting the first arrow fly. It lands directly onto the hovercraft at the tip of the V-formation of hovercrafts. A few seconds later, it explodes into a mass of fire. These explosive arrows really come in handy.

I'm about to let the second arrow fly when I feel a hand on my shoulder, making my blood run cold. The hand squeezes my shoulder in a death grip and the nails dig into my flesh. I'm to turn around when a second hand grips my other shoulder.

"You're song has finally ended, Mockingjay," I hear a hiss in my ear. My brain makes struggle to place the voice as the hands shove me forward, without releasing their grip, making me drop my bow. I finally struggle out of her hold and I quickly turn around.

It's Kaia.

I lunge at her, but her foot catches my bed leg, making me fall to the ground. I only realize that I'm right on the edge of the roof when I hear her hiss, "See you in the Capitol, or not," and I feel cold hands shove my shoulders once again, but this time, there's no ground to catch me.

The pain in my leg finally catches up to me, and I begin fading into a world of blackness.

**A/N: Phew! That was a LONG one! I think that's the longest chapter I've ever written! :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey Guys! Sorry I didn't update sooner but my birthday was on the 2****nd**** and I had to go to two birthday parties… of which none were mine. Go figure. **

**IMPORTANT! Ok, so please read this whole little note. So I'm writing a science fiction book, which is the genre of the Hunger Games, and I wrote a little summary for it. I posted it on my profile, it's at the beginning of my profile. So I would really appreciate it if you read it and give me some feedback saying if it sounds interesting to you. Don't be shy about what you think, I want real feedback from teens, positive or negative. You can PM me or post a review with your opinion. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

A bright florescent light pushed my eyelids open. A feeling of dizziness occupied my body and my lashes felt as if they were a hundred pounds, but I couldn't close my eyes again. My throat felt raw and dry and a bitter taste took over my senses. I felt a cold metal surface underneath my limp fingertips, and the strong smell of sterilizer invaded my nose. I could make out an annoying beeping sound coming from somewhere near me, making my head throb with headache. My vision finally focused and I could barely make out a clean tiled ceiling, so white it almost hurt to look.

A sharp jab in my right arm caused me to gasp and my eyes to fly open. I tried to turn my head towards the jab but I couldn't move. It was like I was paralyzed. I could easily blink and breathe, but my limbs were frozen. My arms and legs became heavy, immovable weights and my neck was as stiff as a board, as if someone put a metallic brace around it.

"Where am I?" I managed to croak out, sounding as if I was being choked.

I didn't hear any answer, so I tried again.

"Where am I?" I asked again, sounding more demanding now that I had let my voice adjust.

He or she still didn't answer. I was getting frustrated.

"WHERE THE HECK AM I!" I exclaimed, no longer sounding like I was asking a question.

"Quiet," a man's deep and monotone voice finally replied.

"I won't until you tell me where I am!" I said. And that was the last thing I remember before the blackness took over again.

When I woke up again, I found myself in a room, and my limbs were able to move again. The room was extremely simple, with a small bed with a metallic frame and a single white blanket and pillow, and a sink in the corner next to a toilet that jutted out of the wall, both a shiny silver color. I cocked my head to the side and saw a small grey table, almost camouflaged in the grey walls.

I slowly moved my legs, and once I was sure I could control them again, I swung them off the side of the bed, and sat up as well. With this movement, the memory of what had happened suddenly came rushing back. An image of blonde hair framing a smirk on a girl's face looking down at me entered my mind. The girl suddenly had a name.

"Kaia," I whispered, and felt myself boil with anger. I closed my eyes, trying to remember more of what had happened, thinking maybe it would give me a clue as to where I was.

Another image of Kaia popped into my mind, but this time she wasn't looking at me. She was talking to President Snow. The image is a little blurry, so I can't remember exactly what happened, but I can just make out a few words.

"_You've done well, Miss Ardack," he said, addressing Kaia. "I promise you, as an award for this amazing accomplishment, when we have won this war, you will have Mr. Mellark all to yourself."_

_Peeta, _I suddenly think. Where is he now? Does he know about any of this? I realize I'm in the Capitol, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out I've been captured.

The door suddenly flies open, causing me to yelp in surprise and spring up to my feet. I look towards the door and flatten myself against the wall when I see a peacekeeper.

"Come on," he says, crossing the room in two strides and roughly taking a hold on my arm.

"Where are you taking me!" I shriek.

He doesn't reply, only grips my arm tighter and proceeds with dragging me out of the room. I struggle against his grip, but I'm not strong enough.

He drags me down a grey corridor that reeks with misery and formalness. He brings me down to the last door before putting a key in the lock and shoving me inside once it's open.

I stumble inside, almost falling flat on my face. My left hand finds a wall, and I cling on to it as my eyes adjust to the bright lights. I blink a few times and try to regain my footage when my whole body freezes. A sickly sweet aroma evades my nose and I almost gag.

Roses. The smell of roses is what makes me begin to shake. But I force myself to stand straight and confident before looking into the snake-like eyes of President Snow.

"Hello, Ms. Everdeen," he greets me.

I don't reply; just stand there and stare at him, trying to remember how to breathe.

He waits a few moments before speaking again. "May I ask how you've been?" he asks, his voice droning on in a monotone.

"Fine," I croak, forcing myself to speak, to show him that no matter what he does, I'm still not afraid of him.

He laughs. "Oh, but Ms. Everdeen, I thought we agreed not to lie to each other."

My throat fills with molasses, and I open and close my mouth, trying to find something to reply with. I find nothing.

"Please, sit," he says, gesturing to the seat in front of the desk. I cautiously take two small steps towards the chair before sinking into it. My hands immediately grip the arm rests and I feel bile coming up my throat as the stench of roses hits me harder.

I take a deep breath before asking, "What do you want from me?" in a shaky breath. I feel myself become more confident. "You can torture me all you want, but I'll never, _never, _reveal any information about the rebellion to you or your Capitol minions."

He holds a hand up to stop me. "Ms. Everdeen, as much as I would like for you to reveal that information to me, I had a larger task in mind for you," he informs me. He explains to me what he wants me to do, and my whole being begins to shake.

_Déjà vu_, I think to myself, except, this time, I'm on the opposite end of the situation.

An interview. They want me to do an interview.

**A/N: I just wanted to say sorry for the lack of fluffiness between Katniss and Peeta lately. I know, I also hate when authors do that. But trust me, the two star crossed lovers will be reunited sooner than you think, because Katniss' interview is going to be VERY (and I mean VERY VERY VERY) different from Peeta's. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

_An interview. They want an interview._

My vision blurs as the same peacekeeper that brought me from my room grabs my arm roughly and drags me out of the room. I can feel myself stumble a couple times as he walks much faster than I would like, but I don't care, because the only thing that I can register is the task they expect me to accomplish. They expect me to lie in front of the whole country, to convince them that I am against the rebels.

It's impossible.

I immediately accept the fact that I'm going to screw up the whole interview and be punished for it.

I'm going to be tortured, just like Peeta was.

The thought of Peeta makes an invisible hand squeeze my heart. Will I ever see him again? Better not get my hopes up. The only thing I can hope for at this point is that if they kill me, they'll do it fast.

))))))))))))(((((((((((((

It seems like an eternity before the peacekeeper stops in front of another door. He takes out a ring of keys and shoves one into the keyhole. Once the door has been opened, he proceeds to drag me inside and seat me on a white chair in front of a mirror. It doesn't take long to realize that I'm being prepped for my interview.

Three women appear from a door behind me just as the peacekeeper leaves. They come in front of me so that I can see their faces better.

They are all dressed in grey pants and grey tunics, with pointy grey high heels poking out of the pant legs. I can tell right off the bat that these three have had multiple cosmetic surgeries done to their faces, and it doesn't surprise me. Their cheekbones jut out too far for it to be natural, and their lips have been squished together to half the length of my thumb, coated in bright red lip stick and puckered out. Makeup coats their skin and causes their faces to shine a ghostly pale, and their eyes have been stretched to the point where it the ends are just kissing their temples. Bright blue eyeliner lines their morphed eyes and accentuates the thick layers of purple sparkling mascara coating their already oversized lashes. The most normal part is their hair, dyed jet black with aqua streaks and twisted into a bun that sits of the very top of their heads.

Without a single word, they pull out various instruments that I can't even begin to describe from the drawers beneath the mirror. And suddenly, they're all over me, poking sharp objects onto my face, pulling my hair and rubbing some sort of goo in it, and rubbing a light pink cream that stings on my lips.

This goes on forever; at least three hours. I just stare into the mirror and watch myself be transformed into someone who isn't me. They curl my hair with a steaming hot iron to the point where it bounces with every movement, and rub foundation into my face until it's completely flawless and glows a smooth olive color. My lips are now full and hydrated, opposed to the thin and chapped feeling I'm so used to. They smear a neutral colored lip stick on my lips and top it with a pink lip gloss before moving on to my eyes. They first apply a dark blue eyeliner to my eyes, swishing it off of my lids in multiples wings. They then apply multiple layers of dark brown mascara, which seems to leave golden flecks in my lashes. Once the hair and makeup are done, one of the ladies presses a button on the chair I'm sitting in that makes the bit where my legs are resting swing up and the back of the chair swings down, so that I'm now lying down. I see one of the other ladies start preparing a wax, which I know will be to remove my leg hair. The third lady pulls my gown up to the top of my thighs, and all three of them grab one of the strips and begin the wax.

After my legs have been stripped of any hair, they grab my arms and lead me into the corner of the room, where there sits a small grey couch, and a hook on the wall beside it. On the hook rests a hanger with some sort of cover attached, hiding my dress.

Without hesitation, one of the ladies pulls off my gown, and another begins clipping on a strapless bra onto my torso. The third begins pulling the dress off of the hanger. One of the ladies measuring my waist blocks my view, but I see that it's a sort of light teal color, and is made of a silky material.

They begin putting the dress on me, and it seems pretty comfortable. It's light and airy, and doesn't feel irritating on my skin. Once I look down, I realize it's because it doesn't cover that much skin.

The dress only goes down to about my mid thigh, and has no straps. Luckily, it doesn't show any cleavage whatsoever, and doesn't flaunt my breasts at all, actually. The dress' waistline is right at my bellybutton, separating the dress into two halves, the top and the bottom, which are both sort of floaty, not flaunting any of my 'woman parts' at all. I guess the main goal of the dress is to show off my legs and shoulders.

One of the women grabs a belt off the couch and ties it right of the waistline of the dress. The belt is a light tan color and is a braided style, and is very thin. I suddenly think that Prim would think the dress was gorgeous.

Prim.

My heart aches for my baby sister. What does she think happened to me? I push the thought from my mind. I can't think of her, it will only make me sadder.

The third lady leads me to sit on the couch and pulls out a shoe box from underneath the couch. She opens it up to reveal, thankfully, a pair of sandals, instead of heals. The sole is light brown, but the weaving on the top that will hold my feet to the shoe is black and lined with small copper half spheres. They slip my feet into the shoes, and I am thankful again for the lack of heel.

The ladies lead me out of the room and down a hallway to an elevator. I feel myself plunge down, and when we stop, I gasp in recognition. It's the same room that I stood in with Cinna right before my interview for the games. Two of the ladies grip my arms and pull me out, their sharp nails digging into my skin.

I hear the audience above us all murmur in excitement, anxious to the Girl on Fire after so long.

It feels like only a matter of minutes until the ladies are leading me up the staircase, and I hear Caesar yell out to the audience, "Put your hands together, for the lovely Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire!"

**Katniss' interview will be next, and I got a devilish idea for this story while I was writing this chapter. Mwahaha!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I start school on Tuesday, so I'm trying to update as much as I can until then. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

_It feels like only a matter of minutes until the ladies are leading me up the staircase, and I hear Caesar yell out to the audience, "Put your hands together, for the lovely Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire!"_

One of the ladies behind me shoves me back, forcing me to step onto the stage. I muster up a smile and walk towards Caesar. He reaches his hand out towards me, and I place my hand in his for him to bend down and place a kiss on my fingers before gesturing for me to sit down. The crowd is roaring, cheering for me, even through I'm the face of rebellion. To them, the Capitol citizens, I guess I'm just a reminder of an especially exhilarating Hunger Games.

"It's lovely to see you again, Ms. Everdeen, and may I say that you look stunning!" Caesar exclaims, trying to put me at ease because I'm obviously shaking, refusing to look up from my hands.

"Uh, thank you," I stutter, looking up at him. "You don't look to bad yourself," I continue, observing the color theme he has chosen this year. His hair and suit are the same style, but are now colored a musty green color.

"So, Katniss," Caesar begins. "What brings you to the Capitol?"

My mouth opens and closes a few times. What am I supposed to say? That I was kidnapped? "A hovercraft?" I reply unsurely, sounding like I was asking a question rather than an answer.

But, nevertheless, this sends the audience in hysterics. I smile weakly.

"Of course, of course," Caesar replies, patting my arm. "And another question that I just have to ask; how's the baby?" he asks, glancing down at my stomach.

I decide to tell him what I told the patients in Eight. "Miscarriage," I reply, hanging my head low to make it look like I was distraught. And to make them even guiltier, I add, "It was caused by the climate and environment of the arena. If it had been any other setting, maybe the baby would have survived. But I guess the Gamemakers weren't concerned about that…" I trail off. Even though I can't see the audience, I can already hear cries of injustice rippling through the crowd. I look up, willing some moisture to leak through my eyes, and isn't hard with all the bright lights shining right at me.

"Very unfortunate," Caesar agrees, ignoring all the shouting. "But while we're on this subject, how's Peeta?" he asks.

I know that Snow is watching this now, and wants me to answer what he expects is Peeta's current condition: in a coma. But he doesn't know that I was able to save him.

I look up and smile what I hope is my brightest smile. "Oh, he's doing wonderfully, actually. He was upset when he heard about the baby, like any father would be, but he figured there was nothing we could've done to prevent it. I mean, the slip for what the twist was on the Quarter Quell was supposedly written over seventy-five years ago, or at least that's what President Snow told us all," I say faking innocence. I was really getting into it now, enjoying rubbing in the Capitol's faces that I knew every one of their dirty tricks and was announcing it on live TV. "So I guess there nothing that we could do. _Nothing."_

I can the minor surprise on Caesar's face when I announce how well Peeta is, and the shock when I say all these things. I've finally got even Caesar Flickermen speechless.

"Well… that's good to hear that Peeta's doing well," he replies after a few moments.

"Yes, it is fortunate with all this chaos going on around us," I reply, settling back into my chair.

"Yes, and speaking of that, there's something I would like to know," he says in a serious tone, leaning forward to exaggerate the seriousness of this moment. "What are your thoughts on this war? How do you think this should play out?"

I know that this is probably the most crucial moment of the interview; Snow told me himself. They want me to start saying how a cease-fire would benefit the Panem and how it was a necessary action if we wanted to continue evolving as human beings.

"Well," I start carefully, weighing my options. If I don't do this right, they'll obviously torture me. But even if I do, they'll probably still torture me for information. "I, um, I think that this war, um, a lot of people might die," I stammer. I suddenly decide that I have to do the right thing. "You know what?" I state, sitting up taller in my chair and grasping at the armrests. "No, I'm not going to lie. The Capitol has been treating the districts like crap, and the Hunger Games are just wrong and abusive. This is totalitarianism!" I exclaim, recalling the term from a book I read in the library of Thirteen. "We shouldn't have to put up with this! Rebellion is what we need, and I will keep fighting until things are right, or die trying." By now the words are just tumbling out of my mouth, but it feels right. "I'm going to stand up for what's right and make sure that no kids have to live in fear for the day they turn twelve, and parents won't have to worry about how to get their next meal. I saw people die every week of starvation in my home, and I-"

I look at the audience, and see that they are all utterly shocked. I know that they are oblivious to the situation in the districts, but that makes me even angrier.

"I'm proud to be the symbol of this rebellion, and I-" I'm about to continue, when peacekeepers come flying in through every entrance; all the auditorium doors and both wings of the stage. I'm pretty sure they're not filming anymore, and I start panicking. I jump up from my seat, but before I can make another move, I feel a peacekeeper take a hold of each arm, and another behind me tying a gag on my mouth. I scream in frustration, and turn to my right slightly and send my knee flying up in between the peacekeeper's legs. I expect him to let go of me, but instead, he stands there with an amused smirk on his face. Obviously, their uniforms have some sort of protective armor to avoid mishaps like this.

They drag me back through the wings of the stage, dragging me down a dark hallway, only illuminated by light bulbs here and there. I scratch and claw and them, not paying attention to my surroundings.

It's only been about two minutes until they start dragging me down a familiar hallway, and it's only until they open a door and throw me in that I realize that I'm back in my old room/cell.

I'm not sure how many days it is until a peacekeeper orders me out and starts dragging me down a hallway.

We stop in front of a door that I remember.

The peacekeeper unlocks the door and shoves me inside, throwing me into the seat. I look in front of me, and sure enough, there sits Snow, observing me.

"Ms. Everdeen," he greets. "How… lovely, to see you again."

I don't say anything; just stare at him with a hatred more powerful than life itself.

"Let's me cut to the chase. I'm in no mood today for beating around the bush," he informs me. "Now, we promised not to lie to each other, so I might as well just be blunt about it."

He's about to tell me what kind of torture I'm going to have to endure. I just know it. I finally speak. "You can do anything you want to me, but I won't give you any information you want. Just thought you should know, since we're blunt with each other," I spit at him.

He gives a devilish chuckle. "Oh, but Ms. Everdeen, I have a much more important use for you."

I squint my eyes in suspicion. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"You're a smart girl, and I'm sure you know what we had been using Mr. Odair for, correct? How we had been selling him?"

I nod, not understanding what he was implying.

"Well, I figured, since the Capitol is a little low on resources for this war, I figured that we could have an auction, to earn some money for resources and weapons."

I freeze as my mind comes to the realization of what he's saying, of what the people would be bidding on.

"What would they be bidding on?" I ask shakily, even though I already know the answer.

Snow smiles a mischievous grin. "They'll be bidding on you."

**Dun dun dun! Snow's going to sell her! :O Bet you didn't see that coming. Don't worry; she's not going to get raped or anything. This fic is rated T, and it's going to stay that way.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. **

My eyes widen, and the next few things happen in a blur. Snow smirks at me before I feel myself being pulled out of the room. I'm dragged down a hallway and then shoved into another room, which I remember as the place that I was prepped for my interview. But I don't pay attention to what they ladies do to me this time, as I can barely recognize my own thoughts. My hair is pulled and face is scrubbed until its pink, but I don't care. All that matters is what is about to happen to me. The last piece of innocence that I own is about to be torn away and shredded to pieces by some Capitol freak that I've never even seen before.

I feel like sobbing.

But I don't, because I decide that I'm not going to give the Capitol that satisfaction. I'm not going to let them see me cry. I'm going to remain expressionless, devoid of any emotion. I'm not going to utter a single word, even when I'm slowly dying inside.

I barely feel it when the ladies pull me out of the chair, and drag me across the room, or when they squeeze me into a tiny, extremely tight black dress that pushes my breasts up much higher than they should be, and only just covers my rear. They shove my feet into little black heals with thin straps that cross into an X. But then they're done, and shoving me into the same door as last time, which I know is the way to the stage. My breathing starts becoming rapid and my heart begins to pound. In just a few moments, I'll be looking out towards a crowd of Capitol people, with greedy smirks and eager to have their way with the Mockingjay.

The lady behind me pushes me forward, causing me to stumble onto the stage. I regain my balance and force myself to look up.

I almost toss my cookies right there.

The whole audience is a screaming mess, cheering and yelling out obscene comments I'd like to forget. I look to my right and see President Snow standing in front of a podium with a microphone in his hand.

I remember my decision to be emotionless, and force myself to walk forward so that I'm right in the center of the stage. I stand straight and clear my face of any emotion, looking blankly at the crimson back wall of the auditorium.

"Welcome!" President Snow booms out, silencing the crowd. "Today, one of you will win a night with the Girl on Fire herself. Let's get right to the bidding."

The crowd cheers in approval.

"Please stand if you are going to be bidding, and sit when you decide to stop," Snow instructs. Almost everyone immediately stands. "Our starting price will be 250,000 dollars."

A few people sit down. "300,000 dollars," Snow continues. Again, another two people sit down.

And it goes on like this. The price builds higher and higher, and more and more people sit down. After what feels like an eternity, there are finally only two people left standing, and the price has reached one million dollars. I take a look at my pursuers.

Both are men, and both have orange hair, but very different shades. One of the men, who seems very large, has hair that's a darker orange, which reminds me of how oranges look when they are rotten. He also has a tiny mustache and goatee which are dyed a bright purple, and his cheekbones stand out at a very odd angle. His outfit is a tuxedo that is bright red and matches his bright red shoes.

The other is not quite so large, and looks more like he's made of muscle rather than fat. His hair is a brighter orange and sticks up in a small curl in the front, while the rest is just flat on his head. He doesn't have any facial hair, and instead has bright blue eyes and small lips coated with a light green lipstick. His outfit isn't as bright as the other man's, and is a tuxedo as well, but is colored baby blue.

I decide that I hope the man in the blue tuxedo wins. If I have to spend a night with one these, I decide that the man in blue would be better. He also has a certain kindness in his eyes, while the other just looks violent.

The price keeps rising, the fat man starts looking worried, but the one in blue looks calm. Eventually, the fat man sits down.

"Sold! To the man in blue for one million and ten thousand dollars!" Snow announces.

I'm quickly swept off the stage by one of my prep ladies, and they guide me through a hallway, before stopping in front of yet another door. They unlock it and push me inside of a fancy looking bedroom. In the center, there is a large bed, big enough to fit at least seven of me. There are little tables all around with red candles sitting upon them, with a pack of matches on one table. In the corner is a cart that holds a bottle of champagne and two wine cups.

I think I'm going to be sick.

Attached to the room is also a small bathroom. I go inside of it to wash my face, but find something very different next to the sink.

There's a small white box, tied with a velvet ribbon. I cautiously open it, and gasp in horror when I see what's inside.

A small, lacy set of panties and a push-up bra are inside. They are both colored black, and shouldn't even be categorized as underwear. I pick up the panties, but discover that they are in fact, not panties. Instead, the back is only a string, and I remember hearing about these once when I was in the Capitol. I remember hearing them called 'thongs', and I was completely disgusted by them.

I quickly realize that I'm supposed to wear the lingerie, and that if I don't, one of those ladies is going to come in and force me into it, since there are probably cameras watching my every move.

I start removing the black dress, pulling down the zipper until the dress falls to the floor. I remove the high heels and the underwear that the ladies had put on me before. I slip on the lacy undergarments, and immediately find them extremely uncomfortable. The bra pushes my breasts up so high to the point where it's almost painful and the thong feels extremely awkward as well.

I look at myself in the mirror. My face is coated in make up to hide the bags and scrapes on my face, but my eyes look lifeless and dull. I wash my face in the sink and rummage the drawers of the sink to try and find a hair tie so I can braid my hair, but can't seem to find a single one. I huff in annoyance, but do find something else. A small blade, that looks as if it was once part of a razor for shaving. I turn over the tiny metallic object in my finger, wondering what this could possibly be used for.

My fingers slip a bit, and the blade slides across my wrist. I expect to feel pain, but instead, find a strange pleasure in watching the skin turn pink and blood begin seeping through the skin.

I try it on other wrist, and I do feel pain, but only for a split second, and that is overcome by the same pleasure as before, only intensified.

I set the blade back into the drawer, satisfied by the blood trickling down my arms. Maybe this way, the man in blue will be disgusted by me.

I exit the bathroom and sit on the edge of the bed. I close my eyes and count to ten, trying to relax my shaky hands.

I've only made it to eight when I hear the door open. I clench my eyes shut even tighter, refusing to look at the man.

Not allowing him to say a single word, I say, "Do what you want to me, but know that I hate this, and I hate you."

My eyes are still shut when I hear him take a few steps towards me. I clench my hands in fists, ready to give him my best scowl, when I hear him say something.

"Katniss," he says softly.

I'm about to give him a glare when I freeze. That voice is so familiar.

I open my eyes and turn to him. There is the man that I looked at in the audience, only now in a black tuxedo.

"Who are you?" I whisper.

The man gives me a soft smile before reaching up to his hair. He grasps on the spike in the front, and to my astonishment, the fire orange hair slips off, and out from beneath it explodes a mass of blonde curls. I gasp. Blonde curls, blue eyes…

But he isn't done yet. He reaches to the corner of his face and his fingers slip beneath his skin. He begins to peel the skin off, only to reveal a second skin underneath.

Peeta's perfect face smiles at me.

"Peeta!" I exclaim, launching myself into his arms. He catches me and spins me around in the air. I feel tears of joy begin to leak from my eyes. I make a move to kiss him but he stops me.

"We have to go. Now. There are cameras watching us," he explains quickly, reaching over and removing a silk robe from a hook on the wall.

I then remember what I'm wearing, and quickly put on the robe. In any other situation, I would've been blushing beet red, but I realize that if we're going to escape, we have to go now.

He leads me other to the window and quickly opens it before pressing a button on the communicuff hidden beneath his sleeve. In only a matter of seconds, a hovercraft appears next to the window. The door opens and Peeta helps me into it, and gets in himself when I'm successfully inside.

The door closes behind him and he proceeds to lead me to one of the seats in the small hovercraft and sits down next to me. He doesn't waste any time before wrapping his arms around my middle and crushing my lips with his. I quickly wrap my arms around his neck, pushing myself closer to him. He hugs me tighter to him when our kiss ends, burying his face in my hair.

"I missed you so much," he whispers into my ear.

"I was going crazy without you," I reply.

I feel him smile as he pulls back to look at my face. He places his hands on my cheeks. "Are you ok, though? How do you feel?"

I shrug, placing my hands around his wrists. "I'm ok," I reply softly. "Just really tired."

He chuckles. "Well, might as well take a nap now, it's going to be a long ride."

I smile. "Ok." I wrap my arms around his middle and place my head on his collarbone. I feel his arms encircle me as he places a kiss on the top of my head.

"I love you," he whispers.

"I love you too," I reply, before sleep overtakes me.

**FINALLY! I've been waiting SOO long to write this chapter. I feel accomplished. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.**

When I awake, the first thing I register is that I'm not in the hovercraft anymore. Instead, I'm lying on a familiar bed. I blink a couple times, trying to adjust to the light. I slowly sit up, and recognize that I'm in Peeta's room. I let myself smile as I think that. Peeta's room.

The familiar scent of cinnamon that I always smell on Peeta invades my nostrils as my hand glides over the rough grey blanket that covers every bed in District Thirteen. The scratching of a pencil makes me look over to the white wooden desk, where I see Peeta sitting in the matching white chair, facing away from me, writing something down.

"What time is it?" I croak out groggily.

Peeta perks up and turns around. "Oh, you're awake," he smiles. "It's twelve thirty."

He walks over to the bed and sits at my feet. "How do you feel?" he asks, placing a hand on my knee over the silk robe I still had on from the rescue.

"Fine, just a little tired," I reply, rubbing my eyes. I scoot over a bit and curl up against him, resting my head on his shoulder. I feel his arms wrap around me.

"Thank you," I whisper. "For saving me. I don't want to imagine what one of those Capitol men would have done to me."

At my statement, his arms tighten around me. "I would never, _ever, _let that happen. And even if it did, I would track down whoever did it and personally beat the stuffing out of them."

I chuckle. "Yeah right, Peeta. You would be too nice to do that," I tease, lifting my head so that my lips are inches away from his.

His eyebrows raise and he smirks. "Oh, too nice, huh?" he replies, leaning his face even closer until I can feel his breath on my lips.

I squeeze my lips together. "Mhmm," I reply, leaning back on my hands.

"Well, tell me how nice this is," he whispers, before leaning in and kissing me on lips with full force. His warm, strong hands come around my waist and hold onto the small of my back, keeping me from falling back onto the bed when my hands come up to tangle in his golden curls.

He pulls me closer to him and lifts me up from the odd angle I was at. His hands travel down and clutch at my hips. I lose myself in the kiss, and feel Peeta's sweet aroma surround me.

Our lips finally part in desperate need for air. Peeta leans his forehead against mine so that his warm breath whispers against my cheek. A sudden thought comes to mind.

"Peeta?" I say, making his eyes dart up to mine. "What day of the month is it?"

"Hmm? Oh it's the thirtieth of August. Why?" he replies.

The thirtieth. Crap.

"Oh, uh, no reason. I, uh, need to use the bathroom," I say standing up off the bed. Before he can say another word, I rush into the bathroom.

I head over to the toilet and pull off the silk robe and panties. Sure enough, my suspicions were correct. Period blood coats the skimpy panties and my… nether regions in thick red goo. I grimace. I crumble up the panties and throw them in the trash. Not like I'd ever need those.

I take off the bra and dispose of that as well. Even though it wasn't ruined at all, it was so uncomfortable.

I step into the shower and clean myself off, rubbing away all the grime and blood. When I'm done and pick up the fluffy robe on the hook next to the door and wrap it around myself, feeling the soft fibers rub against my skin.

I open the door to get some clothes (since I kept a bunch in Peeta's room since I'm here so often), to find Peeta sitting at the desk again, still scratching away at a piece of paper. When he hears the creak of the drawers as I open them, his head snaps up, and when he sees me staring at him, he quickly shoves the paper in his notebook.

"What were you doing?" I ask suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing," he replies nervously. "Just working on a sketch."

I nod slowly, but don't ask any more questions. I don't want to be breathing down his neck.

"So why did you have to rush into the bathroom?" he asks casually, trying to change the subject.

I blush. "Um, just, uh, girl stuff."

He looks at me for a moment before shrugging, obviously not getting the message.

I rush back into the bathroom to change, and quickly towel-dry my hair. I slip on the standard grey outfit for girls, and exit the bathroom.

Peeta suggests we go to dinner, and a loud grumble from my stomach answers his question. He laughs as we exit his room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once we're seated with our tray of food, I quickly dive in, practically inhaling the stuff. Peeta has to fight to keep the smirk off his face, especially when I raise an eyebrow at his amused expression.

"Well, you would be hungry too if you had only been fed once a day for two weeks," I scoff.

He narrows his eyes. "Two weeks? Katniss, you were in the Capitol for two months."

My eyes widen, and I begin choking on the piece of bread I was chewing. I sip some of my water until I can speak again.

"Two months?" I squeak.

He nods. "Yeah, and since then, we've gotten all the Districts against the Capitol. The only place left is the Capitol itself," he informs me.

I nod slowly, taking the new information in.

I'm about to open my mouth to speak again when I hear someone behind me.

"KATNISS!"

I turn around and before I can blink Finnick has me locked in a bear hug. I see Annie scurrying up behind him.

"Let go of her, Finnick!" Annie squeals. "You'll suffocate her!"

I hear Finnick laugh as he let's go of me, and as soon as he does Annie comes to give me an embrace.

"Oh Katniss we were so worried!" she exclaims after detaching herself from me.

"Well, let's just try to forget about it now that it's over," I suggest, more than eager to forget the endless days locked in that little grey room.

**Alright guys, change of plans. I realized that it isn't possible for this story to be 100 chapters. It probably going to end at like Ch. 30. BUT I have an excuse for this decision. I can't think of any more ideas for this, and I'm just going to finish off the war and bring them home, and then an epilogue. But I've only not had ideas because I've been really wanting to make a modern AU Hunger Games story. I really love those, where Katniss and everyone are in high school in modern day. So as soon as this story is done, I'm going to start that one. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

My first day back in Thirteen comes to an end, and I'm glowing with happiness. I can't stop thinking of what would've happened if a real Capitol person had bought me. Millions of scenarios form in my mind, none of them pretty.

I get ready for bed in Peeta's room, just like I did before I was captured. I can't stop smiling the entire time, just the familiarity and reassurance of the procedure makes me feel safe.

Peeta gets ready as well before we both crawl into bed. He stretches his arm to the lamp and turns off the light, plunging us into darkness. I feel his strong, warm arm pull me to his chest, where I lay my head to hear the soft beat of his heart.

A thought pops into my head. "Peeta," I begin.

"Hm?" he replies.

"What's our next step?" I continue. "You know, with the war and all?"

He takes a second to answer.

"Katniss, we've already won the war," he says slowly.

It takes me a moment to register what he's said before I shoot up into a sitting position. "Wait, so Snow's dead? It's over? We've won?"

Peeta sits up and turns on the light. "We've won… but Snow's not dead yet. We captured him when I went to the Capitol to get you and we've got him in one of the prison cells, but I don't know anything besides that."

A smile stretches across my face as I realize that it's over. The war. It's over. I fling my arms around Peeta's neck. "We can go home!" I exclaim. He chuckles.

"I thought you already knew! I thought someone would've told you today," he replies smiling into my hair. I pull apart so that I can look him in the eyes. Another thought enters my head.

My smile drops a bit. "What do you… what do you think is going to happen when we go back home?" I ask. I could go back home in victor's village with my family now that my dad is with us, but then Peeta would be all alone. I doubt my father would approve of the two of us living together.

I raise an eyebrow as a small grin appears on Peeta's face. "Don't worry Katniss; I've got something sorted out."

"And what's that?" I question suspiciously.

He shakes his head. "I can't tell you, it's a surprise!"

"Tell me!" I demand, folding my arms in front of my chest.

He tuts and copies my position by folding his arms as well. "Never a patient one, were you? Don't worry, you'll know all too soon."

Seeing that he wasn't going to tell me any time soon, I sigh in defeat and lay back down. He switches off the light before lying down as well. I cuddle myself into him once again as his arms wrap around me. I know that if Peeta has a plan, it's a good one.

))))))))))))))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

My eyes blink open the last remains of sleep. I take a deep breath and sit up in bed, stretching my arms. I hadn't had a sleep that nice in ages.

I hear the steady stream of water coming from the bathroom, so I assume Peeta must be showering.

I rip the dull grey duvet off my body and am instantly hit with the cold air of the room. I quickly slip on a pair of socks and start pulling clothes out of Peeta's dresser, which we now pretty much shared. I could tell it was going to be chilly today, so I chose a pair of grey jeans and a grey sweatshirt, the standard District 13 uniform for colder days.

I wait for Peeta to be done with his shower so that I can go in and change. After a minute he steps out, and smiles when he sees me waiting on the edge of the bed. Since he just came out of the shower, the only thing he's wearing is a towel around his waist. I can't help glancing at the muscles on his chest and stomach.

"Good morning, beautiful," he says.

"What? Oh, um, good morning." Whoops. Must've gotten a little distracted by his abs.

He smirks. "Like what you see?" he teases flexing his arm.

I blush. "God, shut up, you," I respond, but can't help laughing. I pick up my clothes and tell him I'm going to get ready.

I quickly get ready since I'm starving and can't wait for breakfast. On our way there, I ask Peeta what he wants to do today. He suddenly looks a bit nervous.

"I actually, um, wanted to show you something…" he trails off, fiddling his fingers.

"What is it?" I ask curiously.

He smiles nervously. "It's a surprise."

I eye him suspiciously. "Will I like this surprise?"

He scoffs. "I sure hope so."

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

Breakfast ends, and I'm bursting with curiosity as to what Peeta might want to show me.

He leads me down a hallway and takes a right turn, before we stop in front of a metal door. A guard stands in front of the door. The guard eyes Peeta.

"Off-limits," the guard says formally.

"I have permission from Coin," Peeta replies, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it to the guard. The guard takes the paper and reads it for a few seconds before handing it back to Peeta. He then turns around and punches a few buttons on a keypad next to the metal door. The door slides open to reveal not a room, but an elevator.

Peeta leads me inside of the elevator after saying thank-you to the guard, and the door slides closed again.

Peeta anxiously taps his foot, and I can tell he's really nervous now.

"Why are you so nervous?" I demand.

He grimaces. "I can't tell you, it'll ruin the surprise."

I huff in defeat. But I don't have to wait much longer before the elevator comes to a stop. The elevator door slides open, and I gasp when I see the sight in front of me. A huge garden, filled with every plant imaginable, lies in front of me. Arches decorated with red, pink, and white roses stretch over rows of tulips and primroses. Sunflowers stand tall and proud in the corners. Encasing the entire garden is a glass dome, allowing the rays of light from the sun to shine upon the infinite amount of flowers. I realize that the elevator has brought us above ground, and into the real, outside world.

"Peeta!" I exclaim. "This is beautiful!"

He smiles. "I'm glad you like it," he says.

We walk down the rows of flowers admiring the beauty of nature that we hadn't been able to enjoy for so long in that underground tomb.

At the end of one of the rows in the corner of the garden, is a little white archway that stands on a circular wooden platform. Leafy vines weave through the metallic white design on the arch.

Peeta takes my hand and leads me underneath the arch.

"I still can't get over how beautiful this all is," I say.

"I know. It's really amazing," he agrees. "But, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," he says, gulping.

I realize that he's finally going to tell me what he's been so nervous about. Before I can ask, he takes both my hands in his and turns to face me.

"Katniss, I've loved you for as long as I can remember," he begins. "We've been through some crazy stuff together, but through it all, my love for you never faltered. We built a trust in each other that I had never experienced ever before with anyone. We were prepared to die for each other, and always stuck together. When I awoke from that coma and you told me you loved me, it was like a dream come true. You're all I ever wanted. And you're all I'll ever want for the rest of my life, which I want to spend with you."

And before I can even comprehend what is happening, he has one knee on the ground and is holding a little green box in his hands. I put a hand over my mouth when I realize what he's doing.

"Katniss Everdeen, will you marry me?"


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I can't believe it. I can't believe that it's been a whole year since I've posted. I'm so terribly sorry. But anyways, I'm back now, and hopefully to stay.**

**So, I'll be continuing this story for sure (I can't believe I left you guys with such a cliffhanger!) as well as my other story.**

**This is the part where I would write in a huge heartfelt note to all of you, but to get to the chapter quicker, I decided to just post a "Coming Back" note on my profile, so I would appreciate it if you guys would check it out.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games**

Before I start the chapter, let me recap on what's happened. Katniss was kidnapped by the Capitol and forced to do an interview. But when she encouraged a rebellion during the interview, chaos broke out. As punishment, Snow auctioned her off like he did with Finnick. Fortunately, Peeta had disguised himself as a Capitol citizen and won the auction, allowing Katniss to finally escape after two months in the Capitol. During these two months, though, District 13 was able to rally the rest of the districts against the Capitol, and capture President Snow. Shortly after, they win the war. This means all the people in District 13 can go back home, including Katniss and Peeta. Because of this, Katniss has begun to wonder what's going to happen to her relationship with Peeta, since she will have to choose between living with him or with her family. However, Peeta says that he has surprise for her, and brings her up into an above-ground garden. There, he spills out his heart and asks her to marry him:

**Katniss' POV**

_"Katniss Everdeen, will you marry me?"_

For a moment, everything freezes. A million thoughts race through my mind, and my knees begin to shake. I feel my jaw drop; I must look like a deer caught in headlights. At the same time, Peeta's eyes scream a million reactions to my silence. Fear, doubt, regret, and hope. My mind flashes back to before I had been kidnapped, when I had first heard about Finnick and Annie's marriage plans. I remember the slightest jealousy I had experienced. I remember the way my heart had felt, as if it were expanding in my chest. At the time, I hadn't known what this feeling meant, or what it was triggered by. But now I realize. That feeling I had experienced was yearning. Wanting. _Needing._

My mind flashes back to the present. Peeta's looking up at me, with those damn eyes. Such a perfect shade of blue that I feel as though I'm floating in the ocean every time I look at them. I see so many emotions in his eyes: hope, love, admiration. And in that moment, I know my answer.

My lips move, desperately trying to form some sort of answer. With this, Peeta's eyes widen, anticipating my answer. However, I find that my throat in unable to produce any sounds.

So, instead, I simply squeeze my lips into a closed smile and nod my head as my eyes begin to water with tears of joy.

With this, Peeta's whole face immediately lights up. In a flash, he sets the ring down, stands up, grabs my face in his hands, and presses his lips against mine.

A warm, tingly feeling immediately shoots through my body, from my lips down to the very edge of my toes. As his hands slide down to grab hold of my hips, my own hands drift up, wrapping around his neck to pull us closer together. Our close proximity and the friction between our bodies sends shots of adrenaline through my being. I guess that Peeta felt the adrenaline as well, because he deepens the kiss and pulls me even closer, to the point that even our stomachs are pressed up against each other.

Eventually, our lips part in desperate need of air. Panting, we lean our foreheads against each other, still locked in our tight embrace as I feel his cool and raspy breath against my skin.

"This must be your dream come true," I whisper in a teasing voice, suddenly regaining my voice.

"Oh, this is more than a dream," Peeta replies. "It's better than I could've ever imagined."

And as desperately as I try, I can't stop the huge grin that slides onto my face when I hear those words. For the first time in five years, I feel truly happy and at peace with myself and the world around me. Why I didn't realize that it would be Peeta to provide me with this happiness is beyond me.

Peeta glances down, and I follow his gaze down to the box he placed on the floor. He quickly grins at me before untangling our arms and reaching down to pick up the box. Once he is standing up again, he faces me and dislodges the ring from it pocket. He closes the box and places it in his pocket, and uses his free hand to gently pull up my left arm from where it rests by my side. Sliding his hand down my arm, his fingers cup my quivering hand, and he slides the ring onto my ring finger.

For a moment, a ray of light catches the ring, making it shine with a beauty I've only seen one object possess.

"My pearl," I whisper. "The one you gave me on the beach."

"I've seen you holding it," He responds. "Rubbing it with your fingers, rolling it along your skin. I don't know why, but I can tell that it means a lot to you," he continues. And, in a whisper, he adds, "And I wanted the ring to be perfect for you."

I smile. "Well, you were successful. Because it's perfect," I tell him. I raise my hand against the sun. "And so beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," he whispers, leaning closer to plant a kiss on my temple.

I can't stop the blush that spreads across my cheeks, and I don't bother hiding it. _He's seen me at much worse than just being embarrassed,_a voice in my head mentions. _And the fact that he still loves me only proves how good he is for me._

"Well, look who it is," I hear a gruff voice behind me say. On instinct, I spin around on my heels, tightening my grasp on Peeta's hand. Walking from the elevator, I see Haymitch, somewhat put together.

Peeta and I have been stunned into silence, looking like two school children that have been caught in trouble by the teacher. Raising an eyebrow at our silence, Haymitch's eyes travel down to my hand, his gaze landing on the ring on my left hand. Coming to the realization of what just happened, a sly grin creeps onto his face.

"So he finally had the balls to do it," Haymitch smirks.

And then, involuntarily, I burst into tears.

"Haymitch!" Peeta exclaims, placing his hands on my shoulders.

Haymitch's face falls. "I didn't think that would upset her, for god's sake!"

"No, I'm not upset!" I burst. "I don't even know why I'm crying," I get out between sobs. I stretch my lips into a smile to prove my point. "I guess I'm just really happy…" I trail off as Peeta leads me to a bench amid a bed of primroses. He sits me down and sits down next to me. I turn to Peeta before whispering my next words. "I feel the happiest I've felt in five years, to be honest."

Upon hearing this, Peeta's face lights up, his eyes beaming happiness. I turn to Haymitch, who lets out a small chuckle and plops down on the other side of me on the bench. "Never thought I'd see the day…" I hear Haymitch mutter.

And, to be honest, neither did I. But now that it's come, I wouldn't change a single thing.

**A/N: I can't believe Catching Fire is coming soon! I'm going to a premiere two days before the midnight one, and I'm sooooo excited. I already have my whole outfit planned out: my "May the Odds Be Ever in your Favor" tank top, dark jeans, boots, a long maroon cardigan, my Mockingjay pin, and, of course, her signature Dutch braid. :D**

**What about you guys? Are you going to the premiere? Answer in a review! And tell me if I did well on this chapter too! I feel a bit shaky after a year, so a little unsure.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! So, this time around, I'm determined to be better about updating regularly. I'm not quite sure yet of how many times I'll be able to update per week. For the time being, expect **_**at least **_**one update a week. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

The flickering of light forces my eyelids apart, signaling that it is time to get up. One of the things I despised the most about District 13's underground location was the lack of natural sunlight. Instead, the lights in all the dorms are programmed to turn on at a certain time. It's a poor excuse for a sunrise if you ask me.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I feel Peeta's warm breath on my neck, signaling that he is still asleep. I carefully turn my body over onto its other side, so that I'm now facing him.

His arm is draped over my side, burning a fire onto the patch of skin that lies under his palm. At some point during the night, his hand had somehow snaked underneath my top, so that it rested on the hard surface of my abdomen. After I turned over, his palm had slipped to rest on the small of my back, and I honestly had no desire to remove it.

My mind suddenly flashes back to the events of yesterday. I couldn't stop a smile from sliding onto my face as I remembered the gracious and adoring words he had said to me as he proposed. Looking down, I see the mesmerizing pearl ring that rests on my left hand. Against the dull grey of the bed's duvet, the ring's pearl shines like the first star in a winter night's sky.

My fingers reach up to trace along Peeta's jaw, ghosting over the skin underneath his eye. I trace out his forehead, his nose, and finally his lips, before tilting my head towards his and planting my lips onto his. It's only a few seconds before I feel his hand on my back slide up to grasp my hip, leaving the skin on my back suddenly feeling cold.

I release his lips from mine, only to see those ocean blue eyes I've come to know so well staring back into my own.

"Déjà vu," I whisper. He looks at me with a confused look, making me chuckle. "I remember the last time I woke you up with a kiss," I elaborate, my fingers reaching up to trace patterns along his bare chest.

With a chuckle, he gently pulls me closer to him. His lips ghost over my forehead, and plant a tender kiss before he whispers, "Tell me, did yesterday really happen?"

I smile and bite my lip as I pull my left hand in front of his face, shining the pearl ring that seems to glow. "Does that answer your question?" I respond in quiet tone.

He doesn't reply; instead, his actions speak. His smile widens, and he pulls me closer to him, planting kisses in my hair.

"I love you so much," he says between kisses.

"I love you too," I reply, digging my head into his neck and pressing my front against the warmth of his chest.

)))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((

"I can't believe it's finally happening!" Prim squeals, launching herself into my arms. I laugh, her contagious joy affecting my mood. She pulls away, and glances at my hands before letting out a gasp. "Let me see your ring!" she demands, grabbing my left hand in her slender fingers. "It's beautiful," she breathes, examining every angle of the pearl before looking back up at me and smiling. "We must tell Mother!"

I don't have a moment to object before she pulls me off the rough grey blanket of the bed and pulls me into an attached room. Stumbling into the room, I see that only my mother is here, not my father. I let out a small breath of relief, since I don't think I'm quite ready to tell my father about my engagement. I will eventually, just… not yet.

"Mother! Katniss is getting married!" Prim exclaims. "Can you believe how wonderful this is?" she says dreamily, squeezing my hand in hers.

I turn my gaze to my mother, who sits at the end of her bed folding clothes. I'm not sure what I was expecting for her reaction. Joy, shock, anger? All I know is that, when I fix my grey orbs on her pale face, she exhibits an expression I would've never expected.

Sorrow.

For a moment, I'm taken aback. My jaw falls, and my eyebrows knit together in question. I feel my knees start to shake, and Prim's warm hand suddenly seems distant.

Quickly, I recompose myself. I take a gulp of air and force myself to stand straight, closing my lips into a tight line and staring at my mother square in the eye. I've never given a damn about what she thought, why should I start now? She hadn't given me one single ounce of comfort, advice, or motherly _love _throughout the hardest years of my life.

She lost her privilege of having an input in my life years ago, and she wasn't about to get it back.

These thoughts racing through my mind makes my eyes start to water, the stabbing truth about my deprivation of a mother hitting me hard. But, like I've had to do since I was eleven years old, I blink my tears back. If the Games and rebellion have taught me anything, it's that I cannot look weak.

Finally, she speaks. "Oh," she breathes, a strand of blonde hair swaying in front of her pale blue eyes. "I'm… happy. For you."

I look into her eyes, seeing the sheer untruthfulness of her statement. "Please don't lie to me," I whisper. I had always known she liked Gale better than Peeta; however, I had always chosen to ignore it. I assume that this is what fuels her sorrow; she thinks I've chosen the wrong man. "I know you think I've made the wrong choice," I continue in a stronger voice, voicing my suspicions. I feel a fire start to burn in the pit of my stomach, which makes me want to start screaming and yelling at her that she doesn't deserve to be sad. Instead, I take a deep breath, and say in a shaky voice, "But, you're wrong. Believe me; I've made the right choice. You. Are. Wrong."

With that, I turn away, not wanting to see the resulting expression on my mother's face. I gently extract my hand from Prim's, turning to my beloved sister with a pained look as I mouth an 'I'm sorry,' to her. She responds with a small nod and eyes shining with understanding. I turn to exit the room, feeling the inevitable tears starting to form along my eyelid like tiny soldiers preparing for battle. Scared that I'll just collapse into sobs right there, I hastily run out of my family's compartment.

After what feels like miles, I finally make it to the compartment Peeta and I share. I fumble with the entrance key in my pocket, sliding it into the lock as if my life depends on it. I open the door and quickly shut it behind me as the sobs begin wracking my body. I lean against the door, one hand still on the handle behind me as my other hand flies up to muffle the sobs, my eyes fluttering shut. It's not long before I feel a pair of strong arms gently envelop me, pulling me away from the door. I know its Peeta, because he lets me stand there in his arms, sobbing into his chest. He keeps one arm around my waist and brings his other hand up to my head, stroking my hair. He whispers _Shh's _and _It's okay's _into my ear, eventually ceasing my crying. He leads me to the bed and sits me next to him, keeping his arms around me.

"Katniss, what's wrong?" he asks. I try to answer, but the words won't form in my throat. "Come on Katniss, tell me. I can help you," he reassures.

Taking a deep breath, I let out my answer in a raspy tone. "My mother…"

And that's all it takes for him to understand. For a moment, his face grows hard, and then loosens into an expression of sympathy. "Don't think about that, love," he responds. Tilting my chin up to look at him, he continues. "There are so many people on your side, Katniss," he whispers. A small smile forms on his face. "Do you want to know what Finnick and Annie said when I told them?"

I nod, a smile already starting to form on my face as my mood begins to lighten.

"Well, Annie was absolutely ecstatic. She jumped on me, squeezing me into a hug as she squealed about how excited she was," he says, letting out a small chuckle. I can't stop the small smile that widens on my face. "As for Finnick… well, you know Finnick. He made one of his usual… inappropriate jokes, but then congratulated me."

I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing as I picture Finnick, letting out a crude joke that makes Peeta's cheeks grow red as Annie scolds him.

Now, I was even more convinced that I had made the right choice. As usual, Peeta was able to remove the storm cloud above my head, replacing it with bright skies filled with glowing rays of sun that couldn't help but rejuvenate me with hope.

**A/N: CATCHING FRE IS IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS I CAN'T** **EVEN **


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: CATCHING FIRE CATCHING FIRE CATCHING FIRE! Omg I cannot wait for next week Thursday! First the Catching Fire premiere, then it'll be Friday and I'll get to go to school in my Katniss costume and show it off, and then it's Thanksgiving Break! Yay yay yay**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

One inch from the door, my hand freezes, hung in mid-air as my fingers stay clenched into a fist.

_You can always come back another time! _A voice shrieks in my head. _Once you knock on that door, there's no going back. Leave while you have the chance!_

I'm about to spin on my heels when I hear a deep, familiar voice behind me.

"Katniss! What brings you to my dorm?"

My head swivels around, sending my wavy brown locks sweeping atop my shoulders. My gaze lands right onto my father's deep grey eyes, mirroring my own pale orbs.

"Oh, well uh… I actually came to see you," I manage out, mentally scorning my voice for sounding so nervous.

"Oh," he replies, his voice dropping as he detects that there is something I am hiding behind my words.

I clear my throat. "Yes," I say, forcing myself to sound assertive. "How about we talk about it inside?" I suggest, trying to keep the atmosphere calm and causal. I point my left arm out to gesture to the door, but then quickly pull it back behind me as I remember what's on my ring finger.

He doesn't question my sudden movement or the blush that begins to warm my cheeks. He simply nods with a small smile and moves to unlock the door.

Once inside, he leads me over to the center of the room, where a small couch and armchair stand. Plopping himself into the scratchy grey armchair, he motions for me to take a seat on the couch. I do so, placing my hands on my lap so that my right covers my left, even though I know it's pointless since its exactly what I'm about to tell him about.

"So, Katniss. How have you been? I haven't seen you lately," he asks, his voice trailing off at the end.

"I've been… fine," _Fine is an understatement_, I think as my mind flashes back to my day with Peeta in the above-ground garden. "How about you? Any new news?"

"No, however everyone seems to be in a much better mood now that the war is over." A melancholy expression overtakes his face. "I was so worried about you, Katniss," he whispers. Looking at my confused face, he continues, "When you were in the Capitol. I was out of my mind with anxiety. It shames me to think of what a horrific state I was in while you were trapped there. But I just couldn't help it."

It suddenly strikes me that I haven't even spoken to my father since before I was kidnapped. For the second time in three days, I feel tears begin to pool in the pit of my eyes. "Dad…" I choke out. In a moment, we are both standing and clutching each other in an embrace. My arms wrap around his middle as I bury my face in his shoulder. He rubs comforting circles on my back, but I can feel that he is crying as well.

This. This is what I've missed. This is what I've so desperately needed, but always lacked during my teen years. My mother's lack of comfort had created a lingering hunger for affection, which had sat as a cold, dead weight in the pit of my stomach for five years. Of course, Peeta gave me affection, but it was a different kind of affection. His was a tender, longing kind of affection. What I had needed so badly, though, was what my father was giving to me right now. The parental comfort that makes me feel like a small child again. So vulnerable and susceptible, but so protected at the same time.

"I'm sorry," I croak out once we've separated from our hug. I open my mouth to continue, but he puts a hand up to stop me.

"No, Katniss. _I _should be the one who's sorry. I've been a horrible father to you, especially considering the fact that I wasn't able to be there for you during the hardest part of your life. Can you forgive me?" I nod in response, letting a small smile spread across my face as he continues. "Anyways, what did you need to tell me?"

"Oh, right," I say, my mind wheeling back to my original intentions. "Well, I don't know how else to say this, but Peeta and I-"

"Are getting married," he finishes, cutting me off. I look up at him, my eyes growing wide in question of how he knew already. He merely chuckles before continuing. "Sit down, and I'll explain," he says, gesturing to the couch. I sit down, still taken aback by his reaction. "Before you went to the Capitol, Peeta came to me one day during my lunch hour to speak with me. He said that he wanted to be on good terms with me, and let me know his intentions. At the end of the conversation, I told him that I owed him a huge favor, in return for the way he had helped you when I wasn't able to. About a week ago, he came to me again, asking if he could use that favor. Do you know what he asked me?" I shook my head, even though I had a feeling that I already knew what the answer was. "He asked me for permission to marry you. Of course, I said yes."

I looked at the man in front of me, blown away by the way he had changed since I became reacquainted with him. Only a few months ago, he had sent Peeta to the hospital because he had made me 'pregnant'. Now, he is not only permitting, but fully supporting our marriage. I can't help but let the widest grin stretch across my cheeks.

Once again, I stand up, my father mimicking my actions. I wrap my arms around him in another hug. "Thank you," I whisper, appreciation and gratefulness seeping out of my words.

We separate from our hug, and he takes both of my small hands in his large, calloused ones. "I'm so proud of you, Katniss. You've become such a strong and beautiful young woman."

I smile in thanks, and whisper, "I can't wait for you to be able to walk me down the aisle."

))))))))))))(((((((((((

It seems like an eternity before I see Peeta that night. I know that he won't be done with his work in the kitchen today until well after dinner, so I take a shower and get ready for the night while I wait for him in our room. I pull on my undergarments, and dig though the bottom drawer, looking for a specific night gown. Lately the nights had been getting hotter in District 13's underground location, due to some sort of underground climate change that I couldn't be bothered to try and understand.

Shifting other clothes out of the way, my fingers reach the last item in the drawer, sliding across the silky, pale blue material of it. I tug it out from the drawer, standing up and closing it with my foot. I allow the gown to unfold in my hands, the smooth silk sliding down my palms. I easily slip the nightgown over my head as it slides down my body to perfectly fit my figure. I walk over to the full-body mirror next to the dresser, the hem of the nightgown whispering against the top of my thighs. I twist my hair up into a raggedy bun, letting tendrils of hair fall loose around my face. I look in the mirror at the nightgown my mother had given to me a while ago, even though it isn't what I would normally wear.

The gown is mainly made of a pale blue silk that contrasts the dark hue of my skin. It's a bit short for my liking, since it barely reaches my mid-thigh. The straps are just thin strings, just holding the material up on my body. At the top of the front of the dress, right above my breasts, is a small, light pink bow, hardly noticeable until looked at carefully.

As I look at myself in the mirror, I find that I look oddly… _feminine_. Besides all the times that I had been made up and worked on by my prep team, I had never really put effort into looking like, well, a _girl. _Seeing myself now sends an odd sensation through my body; although, I can't say it's a bad sensation. Maybe I could get used to looking more feminine.

I step away from the mirror, walking into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I've just finished rinsing my mouth when I hear the sound of the door opening. I turn around and scamper into the room to see Peeta closing the door behind him. Immediately, I fling myself into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and crushing him into a hug.

He chuckles and wraps his arms around my middle, resting his hands on the small of my back.

"How could you be more perfect?" I ask, keeping my arms around his neck as I lean back to look at him. He raises his eyebrows with an amused smile, making me chuckle and lean my head against his chest. "I went to see my dad today," I tell him, pulling one of my hand from around his neck to trace circles on his chest. "He told me about how you went to ask permission before proposing to me." I look up at him to see his reaction.

He gives me that breathtaking smile, filled with warmth and adoration. "Well, I thought it would be the right thing do," he tells me, lifting one of his hands to stroke my cheek.

I don't reply; instead, I lean up to plant my lips onto his, suddenly filled with a burning adoration for my fiancé.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" I whisper when we separate, still keeping our faces close enough to feel each other's breaths.

"Just by being your beautiful self, love," he responds before crashing his lips back onto mine. It doesn't take long for the kiss to intensify, passion and lust overtaking love and adoration.

My fingers slide up the back of his neck to tangle in the golden locks adorning the back of his head. I let out a gasp in surprise when I feel his hands leave my hips and take hold of my thighs, lifting me up so that my legs are wrapped around his waist. I feel a blush begin to burn across my cheeks, the position we are in feeling so raunchy and scandalous. Although, I can't say I don't like it.

I smile against his lips, curious as to what Peeta's other side is like. Taking this as a good sign, he detaches his lips from mine and begins to pepper kisses along the left side of my jaw. I let out a hum in approval, twirling his hair between my fingers. When he gets to my ear, he whispers, "You know, that nightgown looks beautiful on you."

I feel my blush deepen as he plants kisses below my ear, remembering the revealing attire I had on. I suddenly come to the realization of what an effect this boy has on me. Not too long ago I had been Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was never going to marry, never going to have kids, and certainly did not have time to think about boys. I was the girl who was too pure to even see her ally naked when he had blood poisoning. And now look at me, wearing the most revealing pajamas I'd ever worn with my legs wrapped around my fiancés waist as we literally kissed the breath out of each other.

So, I tell him just that. Leaning my face just far away enough to see his eyes, I whisper, "You have no idea what sort of effect you have on me."

His eyes burn with a passion I've never seen him possess, lighting up with recognition as I speak. "The feeling is so very mutual," he responds, leaning in to give me another kiss on the lips.

I smile against his lips. _Oh yes, _I think. _I could definitely get used to this._

**A/N: Wow, long chapter! **

**Anyways, I just went to the book store and bought **_**Divergent. **_**Have any of you guys read it before? Is it good? **

**Remember to review! Tell me what you think of the chapter **


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers! Sorry it took so long for me to post this chapter, but I was having major writer's block! I would sit at my computer, open up a blank document, and just sit there for minutes before deciding that maybe the inspiration would come the next day. So sorry about that!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

_2 months later…_

After a long and tedious two months, District 13 was finally letting us return to our home districts. Standing at the doorway, my eyes rake over the bare room that Peeta and I had shared for so long. As much as I hated the controlling and dull lifestyle of District 13, a small part of me felt sad to leave. Maybe it's because District 13 is the place I finally learned to love Peeta.

"Come on, love. The hovercraft is waiting," Peeta says behind me, linking his fingers with mine as his other hand grasps the handle of both our duffel bags.

I turn to him and smile. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

))))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((

My leg bounces anxiously on the metal floor of the hovercraft. Peeta sits next to me, his fingers still tangled in mine. Across from me is Annie, and next to her is Finnick

Haymitch sits on Peeta's other side, completely knocked out and snoring like a bear. My guess is that he managed to steal some of the kitchen's alcohol before we left.

Across from Haymitch and next to Annie is Johanna, who looks bored out of her wits.

The hovercraft is going to be stopping at our districts to drop us off, and District 12 is first. I'm excited to go back home, but I'm also afraid of what has happened to it. After the bombings, who knows what remains? From what I've been told, everything besides Victor's Village was burned to ashes.

Johanna is the only one not returning to her district. She's going to be staying with Finnick and Annie, and will hopefully be able to get one of the houses in District 4's Victor's Village.

Even though the five of us will be separated, we have promised to visit each other often. Before we even left District 13, we had already planned for Peeta and me to make a trip out to 4 in two weeks.

We've only been on the hovercraft for about an hour before I hear a _ding! _and a voice come on over the loudspeaker.

"Attention passengers, we will be making an arrival in District 12 in approximately two minutes," the pilot announces. My hand grips Peeta's as I hear those words.

Those two minutes seem to go by in a flash. Before I know it, I hear a loud whirring from the hovercraft, and feel a soft thud as it makes contact with the earth. A pair of sliding doors to our left slide open revealing a patch of dusty, ash-coated ground.

"District 12 passengers, please exit the door to your left," the pilot says.

I turn to Peeta who looks at me and smiles. "We better wake Haymitch," he says, before turning to our drunken mentor. Peeta only has to shake his arm for a couple seconds before Haymitch wakes with a start, waving around an imaginary knife. I'm surprised; I usually have to start dumping water on the drunk before he even begins to wake up.

"Come on Haymitch, we're here," I say, standing up and grabbing my game bag which holds most of my personal belongings. Peeta picks up his bag and follows me out the doorway, his feet landing next to mine on the dusty pathway. Haymitch eventually staggers out the door way, holding his own bag of belongings.

Once the three of us make enough distance from the hovercraft, the doors automatically slide shut, and I hear the loud whirring once again as the vehicle shoots into the air. I stare up at the craft as it gets smaller and smaller in the sky, a cool and familiar breeze pushing my hair behind my shoulders.

))))))))))))((((((((((((

It all brings back so many memories, and at the same time, feels like an everyday routine. Walking through the gate with the two metallic V's, treading around the flowered bushes though a stoned pathway, and pushing my feet up the concrete steps that lead into my house.

Behind Peeta, Haymitch and I, Prim and my parents walk. Prim and my mother's faces hold a look of recognition. My father, however, has wide eyes, since he's never been near houses so extravagant.

It had been sorted out; my parents and Prim would be living in my old house, since most of our family belongings were still there. They weren't here yet, but Hazell, Rory, Vick, and Posy would be living in the house next to my parents and Prim. Peeta and I would be living in Peeta's old house, since we were engaged after all.

Yesterday, my mother had come to me, saying that she was sorry for the way she acted. She said that she was happy that I was happy.

I could tell she was lying.

I have suspicions that my father sent her to say that to me, but I didn't mention it. The last thing I needed was a grudge between me and my mother.

After dropping off my parents and sister, Peeta and I make our way to his house. The door swings open easily, since no one had bothered to lock it when Peeta and I were reaped for the Quarter Quell.

Once I step inside, a million memories flood back into my head. I remember all the days that Peeta would drag me and Haymitch here to have freshly-baked cookies, so that we wouldn't be cooped up in our houses all day. I remember all the nights I had crept out of my own house to come here, to escape the nightmares, to find serenity in Peeta's arms.

Now I wouldn't have to make the trek from my house to his every night, because he will be right there next to me in bed every night.

**A/N: So, sort of a sucky chapter. Sorry, I'll try to make the next one better and longer **

**Give me some ideas for the next chapters in a review! I don't have any ideas and the reader always knows best, right?**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Thank you guys for all you gorgeous reviews! I can't believe we hit the 400 mark on reviews! Your reviews are what keep me inspired, so keep leaving them! **

**Anyways, my schedule is SUPER busy now that I have volleyball, so I'm guessing that reviews will come about once every two weeks. Maybe sooner if I find time. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

_3 weeks later…_

Spring's cool winds and bright flowers had melted into summer's humid air and warm nights. Summers had always brought on a wave of extreme heat in District 12. This summer was particularly bad; Peeta was even trying to avoid baking since the ovens were so hot.

Sipping on my glass of lemonade, I sat on the wooden steps of the porch, my feet rocking back and forth in anticipation. I hear the door open and close behind me, and a familiar pair of feet stand next to mine.

"Excited much?" Peeta asks as he sits next to me. I look up at him and smile.

"Of course. I feel like I haven't seen them in forever," I respond.

That's when we see Haymitch, stumbling out of his house for his weekly trip outside.

I chuckle and yell to him, "Finally decided to get some fresh air, you big drunk?"

Holding onto the porch rail, he turns towards me, a scowl planted on his face. "Leave me alone, sweatheart," he growls. "I just got out of bed."

Before either of us can continue, Peeta interrupts. "Haymitch, do you know who's coming today?"

"Enlighten me," Haymitch replies sarcastically. Boy, he must really be in a bad mood to be sarcastic to Peeta.

"Finnick, Annie, and Johanna are coming all the way from Four. They'll be here in an hour," Peeta responds, ignoring Haymitch's tone.

))))))))))(((((((((

The sound of roaring engines and wheels gliding along the tracks fills my ears, making me turn in direction of the sound. Sure enough, a train rolls into the station, its side marked with a large number four. I tighten my grip on Peeta's hand and drag him to the front, pushing through the crowd of people waiting for their family and friends. I struggle to see over everyone's heads, keeping my eye out for a familiar pair of red-heads and a dark haired girl with a bitter look on her face.

Finally, I spot them, and call out to them. "Finnick! Annie! Johanna!" I yell, waving my hand up. Immediately, with his tall figure, Finnick spots me, leading the two women over to us. I motion to a spot away from the crowd, and Finnick nods, understanding my gesture.

"Katniss! Peeta!" Annie squeals, giving us each a hug after exiting the station.

"Long time no see Kitty Kat!" Finnick says, giving me a bear hug. He and Peeta give each other a hand shake, followed by a friendly clasp on the shoulder.

"Good to see your face again, Brianless," Johanna says, but she doesn't make a move to embrace me. Instead, I open my arms, raising my eyebrows with a smirk on my face. She simply rolls her eyes and walks into my hug, trying to act tough. I know better.

After finishing our greetings, Annie speaks up. "Peeta, Katniss, Finny and I have some excited news to tell you," she says, her face trying to contain a smile. After a moment of expectant pause, the smile breaks onto her face as she bursts out, "I'm pregnant!"

My jaw drops, and I see Peeta's do the same, but it's overcome by the grin that stretches across his face. "That's amazing! Congratulations, you two!" Peeta says, the joy he feels for them evident in his tone.

"Congratulations," I breathe, still a little shocked.

"Enough of all this," I hear Johanna say. "Let's get to the house, I'm starving!"

We all laugh, except me. My mind is still swamped by what I heard. A baby? Annie's really going to be mother? Finnick's going to be a father? The idea of them becoming parents scares me, but I don't know why. I'm sure they'll be amazing parents; they're both so loving and compassionate towards others. So, why is there a voice of anxiety and paranoia dictating my thoughts?

))))))))(((((((((

Once in Victor's Village, we show the three their house that they'll be sharing. The next day, I realize what a strenuous journey it must be to travel from Four to Twelve, since Finnick, Annie, and Johanna sleep for a straight eleven hours that night. However, when they finally wake up, they seem completely readjusted to time shift. They come over around lunchtime, and seem eager to start exploring District Twelve.

"We should go into town today!" Annie proposes. "I heard that the rebuilding here in Twelve is getting done pretty fast. There must be some nice stores we can go look at!"

I see Johanna, who sits next to her at the table, scrunch her face up. "Shopping? I was thinking we could do something a little less… trivial, if you don't mind," she responds, the sour look not leaving her face.

"Well, what DO you want to do?" Annie asks, crossing her arms and looking at Johanna.

From what I've seen, Johanna and Annie are complete polar opposites. But I guess opposites attract, because they're also best friends. That doesn't stop them from fighting, though.

"Hey, I have an idea," I interrupt, before the two girls can start arguing. "Why don't we go swimming? I know where there's a really nice lake, we just have to walk a little to get to it."

The three victors look at each other, nodding their heads. "Ok, that sounds good," Finnick says to me.

Annie, Johanna, and Finnick leave and go back to their house to get changed, leaving Peeta and I alone.

"Good job," I hear Peeta chuckle. "That could've blown out into a full-out fight."

I smile and sit next to him on the couch, curling my legs underneath me and wrapping my arms around his torso. I feel his arms wrap around me in response.

I look up at him. "What about you? Will you be able to swim?" I glance down at his prosthetic leg.

"Don't worry about me, love. Plus, it's waterproof. I'll be fine," he responds.

))))))))))(((((((((((

An hour later, the five of us are trekking through the forest. I'm leading the way, and feel a twinge of guilt for bringing them here. For a long time, the forest had been sacred to me, hardly ever infiltrated. The only other person who would come here was Gale, and before that, it was only my father and I.

_That was a long time ago,_ a voice in my head says. _This is a new stage in your life. New people, new experiences, new world. It's a new life._

I couldn't help but agree. I mean, my life was completely different than how I had expected it to turn out. I was engaged, happy with the government, and surrounded by family and friends.

Definitely _not _what I expected.

And it was all because of Effie Trinket, and which slip she had just happened to pick from the glass ball three years ago.

I'm interrupted from my thoughts when I hear Finnick yell out, "Katniss, is that it?"

I look over, and see him pointing to the lake. I grin. "Yup," I say, turning in the direction of the lake.

Once we make it to the shore, we're all coated in sweat. Annie, Finnick, and Johanna had been complaining the whole way about how hot it was; it was just a hot summer for me and Peeta.

Everyone besides Peeta and I drop their stuff and strip off their clothes, running into the water in their bathing suits.

The water glides outwards as Finnick and Annie leap into the water with graceful dives. Johanna, however, jumps straight in with her body curled into a ball, making the water explode in fireworks of white droplets.

I set up the picnic blanket, and Peeta sets the picnic basket on top. After making sure that the blanket wouldn't blow away, I kicked my shoes off and pulled my t-shirt over my head, revealing the maroon bikini top that adorned my figure.

Normally, I would never wear something so revealing. But Annie had insisted I borrow it and keep it, saying that it made me look more feminine. I told her it wasn't really my thing, and perhaps she would've taken it back, but then Johanna joined us. With Johanna, there was no such thing as choice.

I turned around and slid my shorts down my legs, my cheeks burning as I felt Peeta's eyes burning into my back.

I turned back around to face him and his eyes quickly darted away. A memory then resurfaced in my mind, and my brain reminded me that he had already seen me topless. Remembering our make-out session in the closet of 13 made me blush harder, but I was less embarrassed.

I decided to shove my insecurities aside. "Come on," I said, and forced the burning to escape my cheeks. "I'll race you to the water!" I screeched as I set off running towards the lake. I soon heard heavy footsteps behind me, making me think about how his prosthetic really didn't inhibit Peeta at all.

My toes just touched the water when I heard Peeta say "Oh, no you don't," and felt his strong arms wrap around my middle from behind, lifting me out of the water's reach.

"Peeta!" I squealed, mentally cringing at how my voice sounded. "Put me down!" I squirmed in his arms so that I was facing him.

My breath escaped me for a moment as his blue eyes bore into mine. Summer's heat had brought on an everlasting sunshine, and it made Peeta's hair look like curls of strung gold. Suddenly, everything else disappeared; the forest, the sounds, everything. It was just me and Peeta.

He smiled a cocky grin. "Ok," he murmured, pulling his face close to mine. "But on one condition."

"Oh yeah?" I replied, resting my chin on my palm in mock apprehension. "What's that?"

"This," he responded, and planted his lips onto mine. I threw my arms around his neck, the action feeling so natural. His lips had become a familiarity to me; my brain recognized them instantly, and I was no longer in control of my actions. With some sort of unseen ability, my lips moved against his, knowing every crevice of his mouth.

He set me down so that my feet were in the water, but didn't loosen his grip around my waist, keeping me firmly planted against him. Not that I minded, of course.

**A/N: I'm so so so sorry that this chapter took so long. I really wanted to get it out sooner but**

**I had a lack of inspiration **

**I was in big bear from Friday to Tuesday**

**I was really busy with Christmas gifts and all that**

**I have a TON of hw for break (I have to write an essay for MATH)**

**I'll try to update soon since I'm on break for two weeks, but as I mentioned I have a ton of homework and projects and blah to do.**

**Hope you all had wonderful Xmas, or Hanukah, or Kwanza or whatever you celebrate! **


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. **

A couple hours later, we return from the lake. We would have stayed to watch the sunset, but walking back in darkness was a disaster waiting to happen.

We separate to our houses, making plans to have dinner together in a few hours. Once inside our house, I flop down on the couch, my body worn out from all the swimming I had done today. Peeta sits next to me, his blonde curls still slightly damp and clinging to his scalp.

He turns to me and smiles, but doesn't say anything. I bite my lip and look around me, wondering what he's staring at.

"What?" I ask, a blush creeping onto my face as I can't help but smile.

"Nothing," he responds, giving me a boyish grin in return. "I'm just happy."

"Mhm," I reply through closed lips, shifting my body closer to him and swinging my legs up onto the couch. "And why would that be?" I continue, placing my head in the crook of his neck and wrapping my arms around his torso. He immediately responds by wrapping his arms around me.

Caught in his embrace, the familiar scent of cinnamon and vanilla enters my nose. Even though I can smell traces of salt water coming from his skin, he wouldn't be able to lose his signature scent if he tried.

"Well, look at me," he mutters into my hair, letting out a quiet chuckle as one of his hands reach up to thread through my chocolate locks. "I'm engaged, and to who? The girl I've loved since I was five. It's like a dream come true."

I smile against his neck, pulling up my left hand to admire the pearl ring. "A few years ago I was certain I was never going to get married. I was such an idiot," I respond with a chuckle. "I would've never guessed how happy it could made me. But here I am, living proof of that happiness."

Peeta leans back, with a smile bigger than I've ever seen. Without another word, he leans in, and his lips have just barely brushed me own when we hear the doorbell. I let out a huff of frustration as I disentangle myself from Peeta, already mentally preparing to kill Haymitch if it was him at the door.

But as soon as we open the door, I see that it definitely is _not _Haymitch.

"Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, now that the war is over, what do you think of the new government of Panem?" a lady with a ridiculous blue wig asks us, shoving a microphone in our faces as the camera next to her zooms in on us.

My mouth drops open, and I'm too stunned for words. I imagine I look like a deer caught in headlights as I stand there, my mouth feeling like it's been filled with sand. Behind the lady and cameraman, I hear the clicks of even more cameras going off, no doubt capturing our every expression.

"Uh, excuse me but no one ever told us about an interview," I hear Peeta say next to me, my mind beginning to reel with memories of interviews and cameras.

"But all of Panem wants to know," the lady says with a giggle, "what the star-crossed lovers of District 12 have been up to?

Peeta clears his throat. "Look, we really don't have time for this. Who sent you?"

The lady giggles again, her Capital origin clearer than ever. "Plutarch, of course!"

Peeta and I looked at each other, mentally agreeing that we would have to call Plutarch as soon as possible.

"So, Katniss and Peeta, tell us," the lady pressed on, oblivious to our misery inscribed faces. "Any exciting news?"

"Well, we're engaged," I say, suddenly finding my voice. Peeta looks at me, surprise written on his face as a result from my openness. I shrug, indicating that I'll do anything to just get them to leave.

To both our surprises, they all just laugh. I raise an eyebrow, not understanding what they find so funny.

The interviewer pipes up again. "Well of course you are! Your previous engagement was interrupted, but it was never called off!" She laughs, an annoying high-pitched squeal escaping her lips. "I was thinking about _other _kinds of news," she continues, bowing her head towards us, as if we're supposed to be getting what she's saying. When she sees that we're completely lost, she sighs as a small grin appears on her lips. "Will Panem be seeing any Mellark babies any time soon?"

Once again, my mouth drops open, and my throat feels full of cobwebs. I look at Peeta, and even his eyes have grown large at her question.

"Well, I-I mean, we're only twenty years old," Peeta stutters.

"But that didn't stop you two three years ago," the interviewer presses.

"Y-yeah," I stutter, choking on my words. "But that was a… accident," I continue, cringing at my voice. I decide that now would probably not be a good time to expose our lie.

I see the lady's mouth open again, words about to escape her throat, when a familiar, hostile voice yells, "Move, you no-good paparazzi! Victor coming through here!"

I let out a sigh in relief. "Thank you, Johanna," I mutter under my breath.

Johanna comes into my sight, shoving past the cameraman in front of us and turning to face the interviewer. "Look," she says to the interviewer, crossing her arms. "I know that you would probably be the last person to realize, but as victors, our lives are pretty busy. The last thing we need is for you and your camera to come prying in our lives." At this point, the Capitol woman looks like she's about to faint from Johanna's rudeness. "So, I'm saying this as nicely as I can, get lost!"

With a horrified look on her face, the interviewer turns around, muttering things about manners and _how rude! _underneath her breath. Peeta lets out a sigh of relief as Johanna turns to face us. "Thank you, Johanna."

She just rolls her eyes in response. "Don't mention it," she replies. "I've got a lot of practice with those nosy reporters." She shakes her head in disgust. "I just can't believe that we're still going to have to deal with them. I mean, the Hunger Games have been abolished! We technically shouldn't even be called Victor's, for God's sake!"

I shake my head. "They're only going to be bothering us, Johanna," I say. "I mean, we were the faces of rebellion. We're the reason that the war even happened."

"I guess that's true," she replies, letting out a huff of frustration.

"Look, I think we should just forget about the reporters," Peeta says with a timid smile. "Why don't you bring Finnick and Annie over for dinner, Johanna? It's already eight o'clock; we might as well eat now."

"Ok, sure," Johanna agrees. "I'll bring them over in ten minutes, so you guys can get ready. Its looks like you two were busy doing something else before instead of getting changing," she says with a smirk. Our cheeks grow pink as she saunters back to her house. We quickly close the door to our house, scurrying up the stairs to get changed before they come.

))))))))((((((((

"Peeta, these cheese buns are delicious!" Annie says, putting another on her plate.

"Thank you, Annie," Peeta responds with a smile. "They're Katniss' favorite, actually."

I nod. "I could eat ten in a row, I love them so much," I say, getting a laugh out of everyone. "I swear, one day you'll come to visit us and I'll be two hundred pounds. You'll ask what happened, and I'll just respond with, 'Peeta's cheese buns'," I add, making everyone laugh again.

"Hey, you've done a lot of hard stuff in your lifetime," Finnick replies. "I think you deserve to eat yourself into oblivion."

"Thank you, Finnick. At least someone understands my struggles," I say, dramatically placing a hand over my heart.

Finnick places his own hand over his heart, and says, "Of course, Katniss. Of course," sending us into fits of laughter.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I can't eat another bite," Johanna says, leaning back in her chair. We all agree, and Peeta stands up to collect everyone's plates.

Later, we stand at the door, jackets slung over Finnick, Annie, and Johanna's arms.

"Today was nice," Annie says sweetly. "It was a nice first day in District Twelve."

"Yeah," Finnick agrees, putting an arm around Annie's shoulder. "Today _was_ nice," he says before leaning down and planting a kiss on her lips.

"Ugh," Johanna says, standing next to them and rolling her eyes. "Now I have to go home with these two."

We laugh as Johanna shakes her head. They leave a few minutes later, leaving Peeta and I together.

"Ah," Peeta says, turning to me and wrapping his arms around my waist. "Alone at last."

I give him a smile as I wrap my arms around his neck. He leans in and kisses my forehead, then my nose, and finally my lips. His lips caress mine, in the gentle way that only Peeta can achieve. His fingers innocently trace circles on the small of my back, wrinkling the fabric of my shirt. My hands whisper up his neck, the tips of my fingers tangling in the golden curls at the nape of his neck.

Soon enough, the kiss escalates into something more. Our tongues fight for dominance and his hands trail down to my hips before he pins me to the front door. I'm surprised to see Peeta act like this; it's so different from his usual sweet and gentle demeanor, always paired with his boyish innocence.

Now, he's transformed into something completely different. What started as a sweet, loving kiss has turned into a passion and lust-driven battle between our lips.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it.

I can feel Peeta growing bolder every second, and soon enough his hands have slipped beneath my shirt. I feel his thumbs tracing circles on my stomach, sending shivers throughout my being. All I can think about is how soft his hands are against my skin, their heat igniting my body.

His lips move from my mouth to my ear. "You know," I hear him mutter, his voice coming out in a deep raspy tone. "you looked amazing in that bathing suit today." I sigh in appreciation as his lips trails kisses from my ear down to my collarbone, each spot he touches burning with pleasure.

I suddenly can't wait to get married.

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of action or plot, but something will be coming up soon, I can assure you! Also, I have an IMPORTANT announcement to make!** **PLEASE READ BELOW!**

**I have a new, original story on Wattpad! And to promote, I'm doing a little contest for anyone who reads it and reviews it. All you have to do is go on Wattpad, read it, and leave a comment with your thoughts on the story. Then, at the end of the comment, tell me your username, because the reward for doing that will be two things. First, you'll get a shoutout. Then, I'll PM you once you leave you comment and you'll get to choose one of two things:**

**a) Decide on the main plot of a chapter for either of my stories (you pick which one). So it's like you get to come up with the idea of a chapter and I just put it into words. So you'll be like the 'co-author' for that chapter and you'll get recognition at the beginning of the chapter**

**b) You get to decide on the names for the babies! You will get to PM me a name for the boy and for the girl and I'll put all the names into a poll and if yours gets the most votes than I'll use it in the story!**

**Here's the summary for the story:**

_**Tessa is different. She had no friends. She hardly ever sees her mom. At sixteen, she has to hold down a job just to make it by. But she doesn't care about those things. Those things seem pitiful compared to the largest burden of all: her flashes. She sees things that other people can't. She witnesses events unfolding within her mind, events that don't really happen- until the day she meets Aaron. Tessa isn't a teenager. Tessa isn't an average girl. Tessa is different. Tessa is nameless.**_

**In order to find my story on Wattpad, search**_**nameless tessa**_**and it should be the only result. You'll know for sure because it's by KatnissWriter :) I hope you guys participate and it would REALLY mean a lot to me! **

**Besides that, tell me what you think of the chapter! Did you guys like Katniss and Peeta's make-out scene? I know I did :D As always, review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

"Looks like a storm is coming soon," I say, peeking out the window from my seat in the living room.

Finnick throws his hands up in frustration. "One day it's so hot that I can barely breathe, and then the next there's a storm. I don't understand District Twelve."

I grimace. It's true; District Twelve's transition from summer to fall usually came abruptly. Autumn ritually made an entrance with heavy morning rain, biting afternoon wind, and chilly night air that could turn your nose pink and fingernails blue.

I look across the coffee table and see Annie curled on the armchair with Finnick, grasping a mug of tea between her pale fingers. Next to me on the couch sits Johanna, her neck fully arched back as her head lies on the top of the sofa cushion, her eyes closed and her mouth spread open. Raspy, patterned breathes escape her throat as sleep clutches her within its grasp, obviously indicating that she's tired after our long day in town.

A chilly breeze sweeps over the room, coming through the window next to me as the sun goes down. I curl my hands into fists and tuck them in my sleeves, the thin, cottony material grazing my knuckles and providing little warmth. I stand up and lean over the side table, closing the window with my wrist.

Immediately, without the overpowering smell of cold air and dewy grass in the room, the aroma of sugar and chocolate wafts in from the kitchen. I hear the clatter of spoons and baking utensils as Peeta drops them in the sink and pulls out a ceramic plate from the cupboard. Moments later he joins us in the living room with a plate of chocolate chip cookies in his hands. By now, all our mouths are watering, so when he sets the plate on the coffee table, we all dive in to grab one.

Peeta chuckles as he drops onto the couch between me and Johanna. I wait until everyone has got a cookie before leaning forward and grabbing one for myself. I settle back on the sofa as I take a bite, leaning into Peeta's side. His warm skin makes contact with my own, sending shocks of pleasure through my chilled body.

"Well, you guys were hungry," Peeta comments, his lips stretching into a smirk as he snakes an arm around my waist.

Finnick eagerly bites into his cookie. "You are very right about that," he responds.

Annie hums in approval. "Gosh, Peeta. I wish Finnick could bake this well," she says, giving Finnick a playful glare.

Half an hour later, after rousing a grumpy Johanna from her slumber, they go back to their house, leaving Peeta and I alone. I look outside the window, happy to see that a few rays of sunshine still manage to illuminate the sky.

"I think I'm going to go hunting," I tell Peeta, heading to the closet to pull out my father's jacket and my boots.

Peeta looks at me like I'm crazy. "Katniss, look outside. There's a storm coming; it going to be raining in a matter of time!"

I chew on the inside of my lip, knowing his words are right. Still, my mind aches to escape out to the woods, to be surrounded by nature before night steals the last hour of the day.

"It's ok," I respond from inside the closet. "I'm only going to be out for a little bit; I'll be fine, I promise."

I step back, holding the jacket and boots in my hands as I close the closet door. I turn around see that Peeta is behind me, having moved from the sofa. He stands with his hands in his pockets, giving me a look of doubt.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to get stuck out there once it's dark…" he says, his eyes filled to the brink with worry as they drift up to meet mine.

I raise my eyebrows and a smile plays on my lips. I can't help but notice how cute it is when he's nervous. "Yes, Peeta. I'm not a child, you know."

"I know, it's just…" He sighs, a hand escaping his pocket to run through his hair. "Alright, go. But promise one thing before you leave," he continues, taking a step forward and taking my hand in his. His other hand finds my waist, burning a hole through my shirt.

"What's that?" I ask, by voice just barely above a whisper. I suddenly find myself caught in his eyes, drowning in a tidal wave of the engulfing blue ocean that sweeps through his irises.

"If it gets dark or starts raining, come home as fast as you can, okay?" He bites his lip, the hand that was previously holding my hand reaching up to gently grasp the back of my neck, his thumb grazing over my cheek.

"Okay," I respond quietly. "I promise.

A soft smile graces his features. Before I can utter another word, Peeta leans in and plants his lips on mine in a kiss. Suddenly, the jacket and coat are in a pile on the floor, and my arms reach up to wrap around his neck. His arms circle my waist in response. He presses his lips harder against mine, quickly sending sparks of heat through my body.

Eventually, we separate, our lips gasping in need of oxygen. Without moving our arms, Peeta leans his forehead against mine, his warm breath sounding raspy against my cheek.

"Did that convince you to stay?" he asks, his voice coming out in a deep tone.

I give him a sly smile. "Nope."

"Dang it," he mutters. I chuckle and disentangle myself from his grasp, leaning down to pick up the jacket and boots.

))))))))(((((((((

The sound of wood scraping against wood cuts the silence surrounding me as I pull my arrow back, the feathers on the end just barely scraping my cheek. My eyes train on my target: a brown-furred squirrel chewing on an acorn, its white nose twitching with every movement.

Ever since we got back from Thirteen, I've been coming out to the woods. At first, it was hard to stay out here for longer than twenty minutes, since it brought back memories. On top of that, when the Capitol had bombed the district, coal dust and bits of buildings had made their way through the fence and coated the ground for miles. That just reminded me of how many people must have been killed…

Eventually, though, I managed to get past the emotional barriers and pick up my old habits. Luckily, my bow and arrows were still where I left them before the Quell, and my shooting skills were still intact.

A gust of wind whispers from behind me, pulling a tendril of hair loose from my braid. I shrug my shoulder up, trying to push it away from my face while keeping my balance on the branch I'm perched on.

I keep my gaze on the squirrel, which sits oblivious to its attacker on a nearby tree branch.

Taking a deep breath, I release a finger on the arrow's end. Just as I release the second finger, a rumble of thunder booms in the sky, surprising both me and the squirrel, which goes scurrying off. My arrow flies a pathetic three feet before tumbling to the ground, the thunder having distracted me from launching it properly.

I, however, go tumbling in the other direction.

I get so distracted that I forget to keep my balance, and fall off the other side of the branch. My hands fly up, dropping my bow to the ground below me as I try to grasp the branch while my legs dangle below. The rough bark scrapes my palms, and I can already feel the splinters piercing my skin. I grit my teeth, and muster all the arm strength I have to pull me up onto the branch.

I'm just barely pulling myself up when it starts raining.

In a matter of seconds, the branch is sopping wet. My fingers flail around, as I desperately try to find somewhere to hang on.

The next thing I know, my fingers slip, and I'm cascading towards the ground.

I hear a scream rip from my throat when my body hits the floor. Pain shoots through every nerve in my body, and I clench my eyes shut as I wait for it to subside. Rain falls on my face, and the pain eventually dulls itself a little. I open my eyes and stay where I am on the floor, staring up at the tree that I fell from. The branch I had climbed to was pretty far up, at least fifteen feet from the ground, which meant that there would definitely be some damage to my body.

I try to assess the pain. I remember landing on my back, and my right elbow had taken some of the fall as well. I wince as I pull my arm up and inspect my elbow, which throbs a bright pink. My legs seem alright, since I had landed on my back. I try to stand up, but a burning pain immediately shoots through my spine. I lie back down, but quickly realize that unless I want to die here, I'm going to have to get up. I try to stand up again, and I feel the same pain in my back. I ignore it though, and continue to push myself to my feet. As I move, the pain gets worse, making a scream escape my throat through gritted teeth.

Eventually, I'm in a standing position. I force my feet to move, a shot of pain shooting through me with every step. I set a slow rhythm with my steps, finding that a slow pace makes the pain a little more bearable. I make it all the way back to Victor's Village, but it takes me about forty-five minutes at my slow pace. I silently thank the construction workers for taking down the fence around the forest, since it would have been hell to crawl under it.

By now, the sky has gone black, night having swallowed the last tendrils of daylight. I'm just walking up the front steps of my house when the door bursts open, and a frazzled looking Peeta stands there, wearing his coat and boots. He's immediately stopped in his tracks when he sees me, and I give him a dainty smile.

"Katniss!" he exclaims, rushing down the steps to meet me. "You're soaking wet! I was coming to look for you; you were gone for so long."

He takes my arm and pulls me up the steps with him. The sudden fast movement sends a spiraling pain through my back, and I wince, trying to contain my pain so Peeta won't notice.

He stops though, and eyes me wearily. "Katniss, what's wrong? Did you get hurt?"

"Oh, no," I lie. "I, uh, think I just scraped my elbow or something," I say lifting up the arm he had been holding. At least it was partially true.

"Well, come on. Let's get you inside," he says.

I continue up the steps, resuming my slow pace. Peeta's eyebrows knit together. He knows I'm lying.

"Why are you walking so slowly?" he asks.

I finally make it inside the house, and Peeta takes my coat off my shoulders for me.

"Oh, I'm just… tired," I chuckle nervously, trying to convince him I'm fine. "You know, long day."

He cocks an eyebrow in doubt before shaking his head. I hear a snicker escape his throat. "Oh, Katniss. You're such a bad liar." Before I can protest, he holds a hand up. "Tell me what's really wrong."

I bite my lip, and figure there's no use in lying anymore. "I- I fell," I start, a sigh breathing past my lips, "out of a tree."

Peeta's face falls, and an expression of worry overtakes it. "How high?"

"Fifteen feet, I think," I say, wincing at the sharp intake of breath he takes. "I, um, landed on my back, and now it hurts when I move."

"Oh, god," he mutters, his expression turning panicky. "Katniss, if you hurt your spine, you can get paralyzed!" he explains. He kicks off his boots and throws his jacket on a chair. "Come on, we need to get you upstairs. Does it hurt still?"

I shake my head. "It only hurts when I walk."

"I'll carry you then, okay?" he says.

I nod, and he carefully lifts me up bridal-style. He carries me into our bedroom and sets me down on the bed, so I'm in a sitting position. He kneels down and unlaces my boots before setting them down in the corner and coming back over to me.

"Let's get you out of these wet clothes," he says, reminding me that I'm soaking wet. I just realize that the clothes cling uncomfortably to my skin, and I immediately want them off my body. "Do you want me to help you?"

"Yes please," I respond, knowing that if I try to get out of them by myself I'll probably go dizzy with pain.

"Here, put your arms up," he instructs. I do it, only slightly wincing at the movement.

He wraps his fingers around the base of my shirt and rolls it over my torso, gingerly slipping the sleeves off my arms.

I blush, and my arms ache to cover my chest when I realize that all I'm in is a bra. I force myself to get over it; now is not the time to be embarrassed.

Without even glancing at my torso, Peeta reaches over and grabs one of my nightgowns off the end of the bed. He carefully slips it back over my arms and over my stomach.

"Ok, you can put your arms back down," he says. "But I need you stand up so I can get your pants off."

I put my arms down and unbutton my jeans before slowly standing up. Careful not to touch my skin, he hooks his finger to the sides of my jeans and slides them down my legs.

"Ok, sit back down."

I do so, grateful that the short nightgown covers my crotch area while freeing my legs. My back stings with the small movements of sitting and standing, and it finally dawns on me that my injury could be really serious.

Peeta takes my wet clothes and throws them in the hamper in the corner of the room before coming back over to me. He sits behind me on the bed, taking hold of the buttons on my gown. "Here, let me button this-" he interrupts himself with a sharp intake of breath. I feel his fingers lightly brush over the middle of my back.

"What?" I ask. "What is it?"

"Oh god," he mutters, ignoring my question. He stands up and goes over to the dresser, coming back with two hand mirrors. "Look," he says, handing me one of them and holding one behind me so that I can look at my back.

I almost choke on my own spit.

Three dark brown circles sit in a vertical line on the middle of my back. They look like bruises, but when I reach back to touch them despite the pain of moving, I find that the circles are on my spine. It's as if three of my vertebrae had been pushed out from their straight alignment and then bruised when I hit the ground.

"Oh my god," I mutter. "How did I manage to do that?"

"I don't know," Peeta responds. "Here, tell me if this hurts." His fingers lightly brush over my spine, applying the slightest bit of pressure over the spots.

I shake my head. "No, it doesn't hurt. It actually feels sort of numb."

He nods and takes the mirrors, standing up to put them back on the dresser. "Ok," he says. "I'm going to call your mother."

I cringe. I really don't want to see my mother. Ever since we got back to Twelve, we'd been avoiding each other. I'd always make sure that she was gone when I visited my father and Prim, and she made no effort to see me. But in this case, I have no choice, unless I want to do permanent damage to myself.

Peeta comes back to me, sitting next to me on the bed. A tentative silence falls over us.

"Come on, say it," I sigh, avoiding his eyes. "Say, 'I told you so. I told you not to, Katniss'."

Peeta shakes his head, letting out a small chuckle before taking my hand in his. "We all make mistakes, Katniss. And the only thing we can do is learn from them."

"But this is more than a mistake, Peeta," I respond exasperatedly, focusing my eyes on our joined hands. "I really screwed up this time!"

"Katniss, look at me," he says, tilting my chin up with his hand. I finally look at him. "We've been through a lot, you and me. We've faced things that people can only imagine facing. But look at us. We're here, we're alive, and we're stronger than ever. We're not going to let a little incident like this get in the way of that, okay?"

I nod, feeling a tiny smile etch into my lips. Peeta would never fail to shed light on a situation, no matter how dire. It's just one of the many reasons I love him.

"Good," he responds, before leaning in and planting the gentlest kiss on my lips.

**A/N: What do you guys think of Katniss' situation? Leave me a review with your thoughts! Also, for those of you who read my story 'The Consequences of Being Nameless' on Wattpad and liked it, Chapter 2 is up! It would mean a lot to me if any of you lovely readers went on Wattpad and read it :)**

***IMPORTANT* So, I think this story may be coming to an end soon. There will be probably about four or five more chapters (including an epilogue) and then I think it will be over. However, I'm thinking about starting up a new Peeta/Katniss story after this one ends. It'll be an AU where they live in modern times with no Hunger Games. I'm thinking of making it sort of like a Hunger Games version of Romeo and Juliet. What do you guys think? Will you read it? Let me know in a review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**I do not own the Hunger Games**

Peeta goes downstairs to call my mother about my back while I lie helplessly on our bed, my cheek glued to the pillow as my arm dangles over the edge of the bed.

I huff in frustration.

I feel too vulnerable lying on the bed like this, and desperately want to get up and move. I'm not used to being the injured patient.

A few agonizing minutes later, the door creaks open. I lift my eyes to see Peeta standing in the doorway, his blonde locks outlined by the hallway's bright lights. He crosses the room and sits on the bed next to me, staring at my back with the eyes of a concerned parent.

"What did she say?" I ask.

He sighs and finally looks at my face. "She's coming over now," he replies, a hand flying up to run through his hair. "But when I tried to describe it to her, she didn't sound very optimistic."

So my suspicions are correct. I've _seriously _screwed up this time, and _seriously _hurt myself by doing so.

"I'm sorry, Peeta," I groan into the pillow, clenching my eyes shut so I can't see the pained look on his face.

"Katniss, how many times do I have to tell you?" He lets out a strained chuckle, despite the grim mood. "We all make mistakes, its part of being human." I open my mouth to object, but Peeta changes the subject before I can get a word out. "Anyways, are you hungry? You haven't eaten since this morning."

I suddenly notice my growing hunger at the mention of food. As if on cue, my stomach lets out a strangled growl.

I see Peeta's lips crack a smile. "I'll take that as a yes," he says. He leans down and plants a tender kiss on my forehead before standing up and leaving the room. I can't help but smile when I hear his loud, heavy footsteps thump down the stairs, reminding me once again at how bad he is at walking quietly.

One plate of cheese buns and half an hour later, I hear a quiet knocking from downstairs. Peeta leaves my side to answer the door, and I soon hear the tender voice of my mother. A minute later, I see him open the door to our room, my mother's petite frame close behind. Her eyes flicker to meet mine before I quickly avert my gaze, looking anywhere but her face.

A chill sweeps through the room, causing the skin of my forearms to become a valley of goose bumps.

"I'll leave you two some privacy," Peeta says, making his way towards the door. I shoot him a glare, but he just raises his eyebrows before closing the door behind him.

My mother nervously walks to the side of the bed before setting a bag on the table next to her. The bag clinks as she sets it down, indicating that it contains jars of medicine or healing supplies.

"I'm going to take a look, ok?" I hear her say, her words coming out in timid syllables.

I give a subtle nod in response, my eyes glued to the wall in front of me. Her hands flutter over my skin, pulling the nightgown across the pane of my back and leaving me clad in my panties. I feel a flash of embarrassment before I remember that it's my mother.

Her sharp intake of breath makes me look up. Her eyes are glued to the small of my back, where the bruises lay. However, a second later, I see her face take on the same look it did when Gale had been whipped and brought to our kitchen table.

Determination.

Healing instincts in play, my mother stands up straighter and begins rummaging through her bag, finger nails clinking against the glass jars. She finally chooses one, taking it out and gently setting it on the table before turning back to me.

"Tell me if this hurts," she instructs. I feel her fingers on my back, pushing against the skin around the bruises. She moves her fingers, testing different spots for pain.

I don't feel any pain until she presses the spot right above my tailbone. A searing pain, not much different from the sensation of being burned, explodes from the spot, slowly ebbing through my being. I let out a hiss in pain, my fingernails scratching against the sheet. "There," I say through clenched teeth, my mind momentarily distracted as I realize it's the first word I've said to her in over a month.

"Just as I thought," I hear her mutter before she leans over and unscrews the lid off the jar she pulled out earlier. Her fingers scrape at the sticky green gel in the jar before she turns back to me. I let out a sigh in relief as she spreads the gel around the spot, immediately cooling the skin down. The familiar scent of rosemary drifts through the air, undoubtedly coming from the gel.

After applying the gel, my mother stands back up, wiping her fingers on the edge of her dress. "Good news; you're going to be fine," she says. My gaze creeps up to meet hers and I finally look her in the eye for the first time in forever. "Just make sure you apply this gel every day," she continues, picking up the jar and screwing the lid back on with pale and nimble fingers. "And don't move too much, of course. That means no hunting for at least a month."

I see the slightest smile form on her face when I sigh in defeat.

Her eyes leave mine when she turns to pick up her bag of medicines. "Well, I'll be going now. Try not to fall out of any more trees, Katniss," she says with the tiniest smirk on her face. "Peeta was really worried."

She turns around and heads towards the door, her long cotton dress swishing around her legs. And suddenly, a feeling of dread overcomes me. A feeling that feels all too familiar. A feeling that I experienced when Peeta hit that force field and his heart stopped.

I felt as though I was going to lose him for good.

And now, I feel as though I'm going to lose my mother for good.

As invisible hands begin clawing at my chest, my jaw opens and my mind begins searching for something, anything to say that will keep her here. A voice in my head is screaming at me that I can't let her leave, not yet.

"Thank you," I choke out, the letters scratching against my tongue.

She stops in her tracks, but doesn't turn around. I see her shoulders slump.

"I'm sorry." Her voice is so quiet I barely hear her words. She turns around to face me, her eyes coated with a glassy look. Her hand flies up to her face to cup her cheek. "I'm sorry, Katniss," she says again, louder this time. "I've been such a horrible mother to you, all these years, burdening you with all sorts of responsibilities. And once you're actually happy, I come around and tell you you're wrong. I just… I want to hit myself for it, looking back."

I'm silent for a long time. I hadn't expected her to burst out with such an apology, and now my brain feels like it's frozen in thought. I feel my eyebrows furrow together as I try to make sense of what she said. I finally respond.

"I appreciate your apology, I really do," I say slowly. "But I don't understand. Why didn't you want me to be with Peeta? Why were you so against it?"

She sighs before responding. "I saw myself in your place. My own daughter in a relationship with the son of my first love; I mean, how could I not? It was like watching a recap of my past," she said, shaking her head. "I couldn't grasp the fact that you were you, not me."

And suddenly, everything clicked into place. It wasn't that she didn't like me being with Peeta; it was that she thought history was about to repeat itself. At the sound of my father's singing, my mother had dropped Peeta's father in an instant, leaving Mr. Mellark to marry that witch Peeta had to call his mother.

My mother is scared I'll do the same.

I shake my head from my position on the bed. "I won't leave him mother, I can't," I say, feeling my eyes grow slightly wet. "Just the idea of it puts me at loss for words. I love him," I continue, my last three words coming out quieter, making me mentally cringe. I'm not used to saying that to other people.

I see a small smile overtake the sad look on my mother's face. She puts her bag down and sits next to me on the bed. "I know you do, and I'm sorry it took me so long to realize. I'm so sorry, and I hope you can forgive me so I can be your mother again," she says with a hopeful tone.

"I'd like that," I say in a small voice, feeling a small smile form on my own face.

**A/N: Ahhh! I'm sooooooo sorry this took so long but I'm just so busy and ugh school. **

**Review and tell me what you think of the chapter! Also, tell me what you want more of in future chapters! I'm lacking ideas, so I need your guys' opinion! **


End file.
